In an Ireland far removed from the familiar images of travel brochures, a bright teenager is heading for trouble: son of a single mother who has given up, rarely at school, taking drugs, and hovering on the fringes of the city's criminal underworld. When he falls for Pat The Baker's sister his life changes irrevocably, not least because when she gets pregnant, Pat breaks his legs. But as he tries to make a new start and adjust to being a lover and father, he realises he cannot evade vengeance forever. "This is the Country" is a hard-hitting, tense and deeply moving novel that sets power and corruption against the fragile defences of love, friendship and family. As gritty as it is tender, as funny as it is dark, it tells a riveting tale of survival against the odds.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
'A terrific novel. In clean, precise language Wall lifts up the rug of stereotype and reveals an unseen side of his country through the story of a submerged soul trying to survive a world of bad drug deals, hired killings, and clandestine love. THIS IS THE COUNTRY stands out because it stares directly at the dark side of contemporary Ireland without looking away, or even blinking. In the parlance of the Irish, it's a mint piece of work. It deserves a place on the shelf alongside William Trevor and Edna O'Brien.' -- David Means '[Wall] is a powerful writer ... the prose style is punchy and accessible ... In THIS IS THE COUNTRY [Wall] has redefined a female icon, one you might have thought you knew - Mother Ireland. She is not pretty but she is utterly authentic.' -- Justine McCarthy, Irish Independent 'A genuine literary talent, with a poet's gift for apposite, wry observation, dialogue and chracter ...a masterful, ironic book of loss and bitter optimism, money and poverty, the impossible divide between city and country ... Wall has an admirable power of poignant description ...There are trenchant observations, worthy of Swift, on Irish society ... Wall's touch with characterisation is light and deft: many illustrate themselves plainly with just a few lines of dialogue' -- Guardian 'This tense and moving work sets the negative forces of power and corruption against the virtues of love and family. By turns gritty and tender, it is a triumph of survival against the odds.' -- The Good Book Guide
About the Author
William Wall's three previous novels, ALICE FALLING, MINDING CHILDREN and THE MAP OF TENDERNESS, have all been published by Sceptre to critical acclaim. He is also an award winning poet and short story writer, and the author of several works of fiction for children, His work has appeared in The Irish Times, New Irish Writing and has been broadcast on radio on RTE. He is married with two children and lives in County Cork, Ireland.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eloquent, funny, un-put-downable,
By
This review is from: This Is the Country (Hardcover)
Wall is an eloquent master of narrative and description. His landscapes are almost tactile. He captures the touch and smell and the visual elements of Ireland and the sea until you almost see what he's writing about. But his books also have powerful plots. Two of my friends read this book at a single sitting. His hero is hateful and loveable by turns and you end up hoping against hope that everything will work out, even though you know from the first chapter that it can't be. Or at least you think you know from the beginning that it can't be...The narrator (also the hero) is so funny too. It's full of wit and sly irony. Set in a city first, then in a seaside town, he actually succeeds in the transition so that both settings are totally credible. There's a strong message there too, a warning about what Ireland is becoming with its new wealth.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful but fastpaced,
By Greg "Greg" (Boston) - See all my reviews
This review is from: This Is the Country (Hardcover)
This is a beautiful but fast-paced book. A strange mixture of thriller and literary novel. Captures Ireland's seamier side. A must-read.
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