Sebastian Barry wins the Costa Book of the Year Award for the secondtime!

On 31st January it was announced that Sebastian Barry, the Irish novelist and playwright,  had won the Costa Book of the Year Award for his novel Days Without End, which tells the story of two Irish soldiers fighting in American wars during the nineteenth century. It was already on my 'to read' list, but this win has catapulted it to the top! So expect a book review here soon!

I thought this would be a good opportunity to recommend some of my other favourites by Sebastian Barry.

The Secret Scripture won the Costa Book of the Year Award in 2008. It tells the story of Roseanne McNulty, an old, old woman who has lived much of her life in a mental institution. The home is about to be closed and her case is being reviewed. Barry's captivating and beautiful writing lifts the people and places from the page and the plot is completely compelling. The reader simply has to find out what happened to Roseanne. Alongside Roseanne's story the novel charts the history of Ireland in the twentieth century and becomes an interesting look at the way time and circumstance can profoundly affect individual lives. This is desperately sad - definitely have tissues handy!- but so worth reading. 

The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty is a companion piece to The Secret Scripture. It follows many of the same characters and fills in many of the gaps in Roseanne's story, but it would also be enjoyed as a stand alone novel. The eponymous Eneas is a policeman in the British-run Irish police force after the First World War, as anti-British feeling is coming to a head. Eneas witnesses the murder of a fellow policeman and is falsely accused of identifying the murderers. As a result he is to all intents and purposes exiled from his hometown. We follow him through the his resulting travels and occasional visits home. It is sad and moving story of a lost and misunderstood soul, infused with pathos and occasional humour. So well written. Read it and savour it.

A long, long way tells us about the quandries faced by many Irish people during the First World War. We follow the story of Willie Dunne, a young Dubliner who goes off to fight in the trenches while many of his fellow Irishmen are at home fighting the British. An interesting and rarely explored perspective on the First World War and its  effects on those who fought and on those who stayed at home. This was the first novel I read by Sebastian Barry, many years ago now, but I instantly fell in love with his beautiful prose. Powerful stuff.

A couple of other Barry novels are on my 'to read' list : The Temporary Gentleman and Annie Dunne.

Sebastian Barry writes so beautifully. His prose is lyrical and captivating and will have you reading passages aloud to anyone who wil listen. He is also a master of characterisation and his characters are all entirely believable and will live on in your head for many months after you have finished these books. If you have not read any Sebastian Barry I would urge you to go out and try one now and tell me what you think. And if you already have your own Sebastian Barry favourites, please tell me about them in the comments.