What is really happening, what is memory, what is the mind’s defense against knowing the truth? Barry’s main character Tom Kettle confronts these questions daily as he navigates the aftermath of intergenerational trauma, the creation and destruction of a family, and the ongoing damage of sexual assault by Catholic priests in Ireland.
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Reader, writer, mostly literary fiction with brief forays into nonfiction and poetry
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Rachel Unkefer's books
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Rachel Unkefer started reading Weather by Jenny Offill
Rachel Unkefer reviewed Beginning of spring by Penelope Fitzgerald
Frank Reid is a struggling printer in Moscow. On the eve of the Revolution, his …
Captures a moment in Russian history
3 stars
Rachel Unkefer finished reading Beginning of spring by Penelope Fitzgerald
Beginning of spring by Penelope Fitzgerald
Frank Reid is a struggling printer in Moscow. On the eve of the Revolution, his wife returns to her native …
Rachel Unkefer rated Ocean State: 3 stars
Rachel Unkefer reviewed Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry
Tough subject matter, masterfully handled
5 stars
Rachel Unkefer finished reading Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry
Rachel Unkefer started reading Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry
Rachel Unkefer started reading Beginning of spring by Penelope Fitzgerald
Beginning of spring by Penelope Fitzgerald
Frank Reid is a struggling printer in Moscow. On the eve of the Revolution, his wife returns to her native …
Rachel Unkefer wants to read Beginning of spring by Penelope Fitzgerald
Beginning of spring by Penelope Fitzgerald
Frank Reid is a struggling printer in Moscow. On the eve of the Revolution, his wife returns to her native …
Rachel Unkefer started reading Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
This is a story about Peter Duke who went on to be a famous actor. This is a story about …
Rachel Unkefer finished reading Ocean State by Stewart O'Nan
Rachel Unkefer finished reading Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett
Rachel Unkefer reviewed Girls They Write Songs About by Carlene Bauer
The 2nd half is better than the 1st half
3 stars
This book is like a mashup of “Almost Famous” and Lena Dunham’s “Girls.” So, not great. The writing in the first half has a lot of run-on sentences and badly needed an editor. The last half is much better written, but doesn’t really make up for shaky start. Ultimately, the theme of the book is that even the most intense female friendship can’t survive one of the friends choosing marriage and children. The main character, first person narrator, who remains single, is supposed to be the wronged one here, but she comes off as whiny and immature. There is a romanticization of life as a couple of 20-something girls in late 1990s New York working for a music magazine, but it actually doesn’t seem like they’re having all that much fun. A bit mystifying why this book got good reviews.