Winterwood

I suppose Winterwood has been marketed as a horror story (and it certainly is horrifying), but it's essentially a character study of a disturbed individual. There is very little violence directly referenced; mostly there are vague references peppered between the narrator's disarming optimism, that are all the more frightening for what they leave to the imagination. I made the mistake of reading quite a large chunk of this book before going to bed -- needless to say, I didn't sleep well that night.

This is the first novel I've read by McCabe and what I admire most is how finely structured the story is. The narrator's voice and fixations provide a perfect filter for the tensions of modern Ireland.