Old God's Time by Sebastian BarryMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
"You saw more clearly what the gift of life could be - something precious given, then snatched back by the mean gods."
My first Sebastian Barry broke my heart.
Honestly I thought it was going to be about appreciating life by the sea in one's well-deserved retirement, and helping out with a police case to liven up the day.
But then the protagonist attempts suicide, and can't help but weep as he walks in the rain.
My God. What must have he survived?
And then he starts speaking to people whom you're not entirely sure are still alive. But you don't know who is dead and who isn't, until the very end.
How skillful an author Barry is, to take a taboo institutionalized societal problem and spin this tale of triumph over tragedy from it.
But be warned. Like I said, this book can break hearts. Whether from the sheer sadness of events unfolding hidden in the privacy of silent rooms, or the musical lilt of Barry's gorgeous prose, this is literature that cuts, and cuts deep.
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