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| Kevin Barry, IMPAC winner & editor of Town & Country (pic: Guardian) |
When you have a story in an
anthology like this, naturally you are interested to see if reviewers notice or
care about your story. My story 'Joyride to Jupiter' got a bit of a thrashing
from Valerie Riordan at BookMunch: 'Nuala Ní Chonchúir’s ‘Joyride To Jupiter’
covers the sadness and horror of a partner lost to dementia, and, though it’s
decently written, it’s a fairly predictable story, up to and including the
ending (no spoilers!); the hints about child abuse are a clever addition,
adding ambiguity to the reader’s relationship with the narrator, but I’m not
sure, still, that this elevates the story to the level I’d like to see in an
anthology like this one.' Ouch.
But the Scotsman review, by Tom Adair, felt
differently: 'Thankfully, other stories soar without much effort. “Joyride to
Jupiter”, perfectly pitched, a tender love story by the gifted Nuala Ni
Chonchuir, is the pre-eminent example, telling its tale of a couple’s cruel
disintegration, held somehow together by selfless love, producing an ending
that is excruciatingly moving.' Tom - I am tracking you down to hug you and
shove a copy of my forthcoming Scotland-set novel into your paw :)
Giles
Newington reviews the book in The Irish Times today and he finds it a 'sharp,
lively and varied selection', while noting the absent writers and singling out,
among others, newcomers Colin Barrett and Lisa McInerney for praise.It's an
exciting business having a story in such a prominent anthology and, personally,
I think it's a great one - I was gobsmacked by several stories, including Éilís
Ní Dhuibhne's and Keith Ridgway's. And it's equally exciting (and
nerve-wracking) reading the reviews. Bring 'em on!
4 comments:
Sounds worthy of an add to my to-be-read list Nuala, good on you. It is gorgeous and sunny here but am spending all my time locked indoors on home improvement atm, (still at least the paint dries quick in this weather) ...and counting the days until I can throw away the dead paintbrushes and curl up with a huge stack of books. This among them!
I have begun reading and posting own the twenty stories in the anthology. So far I have posted on the stories by Mary Costello and William Wall and liked them both a great deal. I am looking forward to reading your story.
Sorry, Nuala! You know I'm otherwise an admirer, though. ;-)
Thanks for the comments, Paulo, Lane, Mel and Valerie.
I think it's a great anthology - a breath of fresh air in anthology land!
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