Earthy storytelling from a master craftsperson, McGahern creates a world on the pages of this book. The story takes place over one year in the countryside in Leitrim, with little to note in the way of major events. In place of story is repetition (of the seasons, the characters' behaviours, the statements). The timeline is difficult to reason out - events that make sense any time in the past 100 years seem to happen simultaneously, adding to the dreamlike repetitiousness. The real drive is in how the characters are crafted and moulded into living things, and how this places you as a reader inside the story. Brilliant.