Old God's Time
A Novel
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4.1 • 61 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE
Named a Best Book of 2023 by the New Yorker, Washington Post, NPR, and Kirkus Reviews
“You should be reading Sebastian Barry. [He] has a special understanding of the human heart.” —The Atlantic
“A prose stylist of near-miraculous skill. . . Barry reaches deep into the messenger bag of mystery fiction and turns the whole business inside out . . . marvelous.” —The Washington Post
“An unforgettable novel from one of our finest writers.” —Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain
From the five-time Booker Prize nominee and 2018-2021 Laureate for Irish Fiction, a virtuosic, profound novel exploring love, memory, grief, and long-buried secrets
Recently retired policeman Tom Kettle is settling into the quiet of his new home, a lean-to annexed to a Victorian castle overlooking the Irish Sea. For months he has barely seen a soul, catching only glimpses of his eccentric landlord and a nervous young mother who has moved in next door. Occasionally, fond memories return of his family: his beloved wife June and their two children, Winnie and Joe. But when two former colleagues turn up at his door with questions about a decades-old case, one which Tom never quite came to terms with, he finds himself pulled into the darkest currents of his past.
A beautiful, haunting novel in which nothing is quite as it seems, Old God's Time is about what we live through, what we live with, and what may survive of us.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the knotty latest from Barry (A Thousand Moons), a retired police officer's solitude is disrupted by a decades-old case involving sexually abusive priests. Tom Kettle, 66, has been off work for nine months and is living on the property of a Victorian castle overlooking the Irish Sea when two detectives arrive asking about the priests. Kettle spurns their questions, but after they leave, his mind is frazzled. He thinks his daughter has visited, then remembers both of his children are dead, along with his wife, June, whose memory he "cradled... as if she were still a living being." Distraught, he attempts suicide but is interrupted when the police chief arrives to request his help with the case. It turns out one of the priests died long ago, and the police are interested in what Tom knows. As he begins cooperating, he remembers that June told him she was raped as a young orphan by a priest. Tom's struggle with his failing memory makes the gradual reveals about June and their children all the more unsettling, and the mystery of his connection to the case involving the priests all the more intriguing. The gorgeous writing and unreliable narration make it hard to put down this rewarding take on love and grief.
Customer Reviews
Too many words, too little story.
Perhaps I missed the authors intent, but for me this was very wordy with little to show for it. About halfway through, I realized that this might’ve been a poor choice for my next read, but I persevered through to the end hoping it might change direction. It did not.
Affinity for a particular book, like a piece of art, is a matter of personal choice. This one didn’t suit me but that doesn’t mean that others might or might not find it to be an enjoyable read.