The Boatman and Other Stories - by Billy O'Callaghan (Paperback)

About the Book

"The breathtaking short story collection from the Costa-shortlisted Irish writer. In these twelve quietly dazzling, carefully crafted stories, Billy O'Callaghan explores the resilience of the human heart and its ability to keep beating even in the wake of grief, trauma and lost love. Spanning a century and two continents - from the muddy fields of Ireland to a hotel room in Paris, a dingy bar in Segovia to an aeroplane bound for Taipei - The Boatman follows an unforgettable cast of characters. Three gunshots on the Irish border define the course of a young man's life; a writer clings fast to a star-crossed affair with a woman who has never been fully in his reach; a fisherman accustomed to hard labour rolls up his sleeves to dig a grave for his child; a pair of newly-weds embark on their first adventure, living wild on the deserted Beginish Island. Ranging from the elegiac to the brutally confrontational, these densely layered tales reveal the quiet heroism and gentle dignity of ordinary life. O'Callaghan is a master celebrant of the smallness of the human flame against the dark: its strength, and its steady brightness."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

"I know of no writer on either side of the
Atlantic who is better at exploring the human spirit under assault than Billy
O'Callaghan."--Robert Olen Butler

The prizewinning Irish short-story writer and author of the
highly praised novel, My Coney Island
Baby, delivers his most accomplished book of short fiction to date--a
poignant story collection that "grips from the opening page" (Bernard
MacLaverty).
These
are twelve poignant, quietly dazzling, and carefully crafted stories that
explore the resiliency of the human heart and its ability to keep beating in
the wake of bereavement, violence, lost love, and incomparable trauma and
grief.
Spanning
a century and two continents, from the muddy fields of Ireland to a hotel room
in Paris, a dingy bar in Segovia to an airplane bound for Taipei, The Boatman and Other Stories follows an
unforgettable cast of characters. Three gunshots on the Irish border define the
course of a young man's life; a writer clings fast to a star-crossed affair
with a woman who has never been fully within his reach; a fisherman accustomed
to hard labor rolls up his sleeves to dig a grave for his child; and a pair of
newlyweds embark on their first adventure, living wild on the deserted Beginish
Island.

Ranging
from the elegiac to the brutally confrontational, these densely layered tales
reveal the quiet heroism and gentle dignity of ordinary life. Billy O'Callaghan
is a master celebrant of the smallness of the human flame against the dark: its
strength and its steady brightness.

Review Quotes

“My Coney Island Baby is that rare thing, a tender straight-ahead love story which convinces thoroughly while steering clear of the fashionably dysfunctional and transgressive relationships that dominate so much contemporary fiction...Good books remind us of other good books, and in its treatment of adultery this one calls to mind thematic ancestors such as Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina and The Scarlett Letter.” - Times London
“Billy O'Callaghan writes with elegance and wisdom about a complex love situation... a subtle and deeply moving account of the relationship between a middle-aged couple...This is a fine novel, with elegance and wisdom lying beneath an unpretentious surface and O'Callaghan, a gifted writer, has managed to do that most difficult of things: take a quiet, almost everyday story, and transform it into a thing of beauty.” - Irish Times
“Compellingly readable...An impressive work...Through one day in a year's long extramarital affair, an Irish writer looks at intimacy and estrangement... The prose [is] exceptional, elegiac and eloquent, in conveying insight and sympathy for the small cast's two main players as they face an uncertain future...” - Kirkus Reviews starred review
"Twelve outstanding and often poignant stories from one of Ireland's master storytellers... high quality, literary fiction." - Fictionophile, at 746 Stories
"A shining example of how [short stories] can distil and intensify a writer's gifts... These 12 stories confirm [O'Callaghan's] delicate craftsmanship, unflashy narrative and descriptive skill, and his deep understanding of powerful and universal emotions... Breathtaking... Masterly... Irish writing has put out many new and more consciously modernist shoots in recent years, all welcome. But Billy O'Callaghan belongs now in the recognised front rank, along with Bernard MacLaverty, Edna O'Brien, William Trevor and Colm Tóibín." - The Tablet (UK)
"The Boatman and Other Stories tears at the heartstrings of the reader with each story...An appreciation for life and love shines through...An excellent body of work to be enjoyed." - San Francisco Book Review
“A welcome voice to the pantheon of new Irish writing.” - Edna O'Brien
“Billy O'Callaghan's work is at once subtle and direct, warm and clear-eyed, and never less than beautifully written. He has a moving ability to express the hopes and fears of 'ordinary' people, and he knows intimately the ways of the world. He richly deserves a world-wide reputation. This writer is the real thing.” - John Banville
Praise for My Coney Island Baby: “An illicit meeting between long-term lovers makes for a poignant, piercing meditation on middle age and the passing of time...In the closing pages, O'Callaghan's prose reaches a pitch of emotional intensity that ensures these characters will linger with you long after the book is closed.” - Guardian
"...deeply affecting stories...the collection's best pieces stay close to home and cleave close to the bone...Low-key, nuanced, moving--an impressive collection." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Love, bereavement, Paris in the rain give an unforced gravity and lyricism to these stories...which focus on the glimmer of heart in the hardness of life." - Sunday Times (UK)
"This collection of taut, lyrical short stories explores the choices of characters at the limits of emotional and physical extremes... O'Callaghan's affection for the harsh landscape of Ireland is as strong as his knowledge of his flawed and emotionally driven characters, to the point that they seem to grow inevitably out of that misty, unforgiving place." - Booklist