Description

THE SUNDAY TIMES HISTORICAL NOVEL OF THE YEAR
THE INSTANT IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER
PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN, NEW STATESMAN, OBSERVER, IRISH TIMES, INDEPENDENT, IRISH INDEPENDENT, IRISH EXAMINER, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, SCOTSMAN, THE TIMES AND ECONOMIST
AN i-PAPER AND SUNDAY TIMES BOOK TO READ THIS SUMMER
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 WALTER SCOTT PRIZE

‘An absolute belter of a book’ ANNE ENRIGHT

He was ready to die for love. He just needed to find the right girl.

October, 1891. Tom Rourke is a poet struggling to make a life amongst the Irish migrant workers in Butte, Montana. He is a doper and a drinker and a fearsome degenerate. His life is heading nowhere fast. That is until he meets Polly Gillespie, the new bride of a devout mine captain, and a thunderbolt love affair takes spark.

Tom and Polly strike out west on a stolen horse. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunsmen are in hot pursuit of the lovers, and closing in fast . . .

Publisher Review

A great big rollicking ballad of a novel — COLUM McCANN A violent, extravagant adventure set in 1890s Montana . . . [Barry’s] thrilling best * * The Times * * Holy damn, it’s good — DAVID MITCHELL An absolute belter of a book — ANNE ENRIGHT A glorious book with all the heart and excitement of a classic Western, couched in the mixture of lyrical style and offbeat comedy that has become Barry’s trademark * * Daily Telegraph * * It takes a sublime artist like Kevin Barry to map the wildest outposts of the human heart. He captures his poet bandit’s spirit through language that is consistently original, consistently exhilarating — CLAIRE KILROY A glorious and haunted yarn — JON McGREGOR Another bloody brilliant little symphony from Barry. Gorgeous — MAX PORTER A haunting, hypnotic love story of two damaged souls. Barry’s talent is breath-taking – he is a true original and, once again, words obey his call. This is a propulsive read from a writer at the height of his powers — MARY COSTELLO If the Coen brothers were to write a novel it would be this. Barry has conjured a magnetic protagonist in Polly — SHEENA PATEL