| Author: | Mike McCormack | ISBN: | 9781616954154 |
| Publisher: | Soho Press | Publication: | July 8, 2014 |
| Imprint: | Soho Press | Language: | English |
| Author: | Mike McCormack |
| ISBN: | 9781616954154 |
| Publisher: | Soho Press |
| Publication: | July 8, 2014 |
| Imprint: | Soho Press |
| Language: | English |
This story collection by a Man Booker Prize nominee “effortlessly weaves Raymond Carver’s lucidity together with Franz Kafka’s otherworldly absurdity” (Library Journal, starred review).
Amid much hollow laughter, a prisoner is drawn from his cell in the middle of the night to play a video game. Two rural guards ponder the security threat posed by the only man in Ireland not to have written his memoirs. A child tries to offset his destiny as a serial killer by petitioning his father for a beating. Two men turn up at the door of a slacker to give him news of his death and recruit him to some mysterious surveillance mission. An older brother worries about the health of his younger sibling. A late night American cop show becomes a savage analysis of a faltering marriage in the west of Ireland. A prodigal son returns to reveal the fear and hypocrisy that lie at the heart of his brother’s life.
From the acclaimed author of Solar Bones, “Forensic Songs is a striking work of cross-genre virtuosity, where hints of speculative fiction and fable bring a surprising spark to McCormack’s serious literary sensibility. These pieces are clever, touching, timely and at times prescient. A distinctly Irish story collection, perfect for fans of George Saunders’s Tenth of December” (Shelf Awareness).
This story collection by a Man Booker Prize nominee “effortlessly weaves Raymond Carver’s lucidity together with Franz Kafka’s otherworldly absurdity” (Library Journal, starred review).
Amid much hollow laughter, a prisoner is drawn from his cell in the middle of the night to play a video game. Two rural guards ponder the security threat posed by the only man in Ireland not to have written his memoirs. A child tries to offset his destiny as a serial killer by petitioning his father for a beating. Two men turn up at the door of a slacker to give him news of his death and recruit him to some mysterious surveillance mission. An older brother worries about the health of his younger sibling. A late night American cop show becomes a savage analysis of a faltering marriage in the west of Ireland. A prodigal son returns to reveal the fear and hypocrisy that lie at the heart of his brother’s life.
From the acclaimed author of Solar Bones, “Forensic Songs is a striking work of cross-genre virtuosity, where hints of speculative fiction and fable bring a surprising spark to McCormack’s serious literary sensibility. These pieces are clever, touching, timely and at times prescient. A distinctly Irish story collection, perfect for fans of George Saunders’s Tenth of December” (Shelf Awareness).
