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Irish Girl
by
Tim Johnston (Goodreads Author)
Inside Tim Johnston's Irish Girl (winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction) readers will find spellbinding stories of loss, absence, and the devastating effects of chance—of what happens when the unthinkable bad luck of other people, of other towns, becomes our bad luck, our town. Taut, lucid, and engrossing, provocative and dark—and often darkly funny—t...more
Paperback, 152 pages
Published
November 30th 2009
by University of North Texas Press
(first published 2009)
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Last year, I was lucky enough to score tickets to see David Sedaris speak at UCLA. I learned that every year when he goes on tour, he promotes a different writer that he admires. Last year he was promoting Tim Johnston and his short story collection, “Irish Girl Stories.” I immediately put it on my Amazon wishlist and have finally gotten around to reading it.
I really admire Sedaris and respect his opinion, so I read this collection with very high expectations. Johnston is solid writ...more
I really admire Sedaris and respect his opinion, so I read this collection with very high expectations. Johnston is solid writ...more
This collection, in a word, is dark. By that I don't mean the stories are about extravagant evil, at least in a gratuitous or provocative sense, but rather that Johnston's characters are average people in whom average good necessarily exists alongside average evil. They react to life's stressors by making decisions that we all make every day; to us they appear, more than anything, like you and me and everyone we know. The difference between us and them, between our consciousness and theirs, is a...more
The first three stories were particularly strong, but as the collection moved forward, I was more and more nonplussed by the returns. Johnston is a fine writer, and he certainly is able to twist stories to go in directions readers might not always expect, but in the latter stories in the collection, I found that Johnston was concluding the story just as I was getting involved with it. Sometimes it played out okay, but in some stories, I was left wanting much more than what was offered. The prima...more
These stories are so well written that they ought to be assigned in creative writing classes. The prose is tight in the best way, painting swaths of scenes in themselves -- simply.
Though short stories don't speak to one another in a direct way, themes and moods cross the boundaries of the stories. Someone dies in just about every one and infidelity is common, but these aren't mystery stories or crime stories. They are stories about crossroads and the way lives change.
Though short stories don't speak to one another in a direct way, themes and moods cross the boundaries of the stories. Someone dies in just about every one and infidelity is common, but these aren't mystery stories or crime stories. They are stories about crossroads and the way lives change.
Interesting collection of short fiction - my boyfriend picked it up when we attended a reading by David Sedaris. Many of the stories deal with male characters and, well, maleness in general, so perhaps that was why I didn't like the book more. I did enjoy some of the stories immensely, however - particularly one about a teenaged kleptomaniac. Worth checking out if you like short fiction from a primarily masculine perspective.
Very original short stories. There is something supremely dark about a couple of them. I think the stories encapsulate the feeling you get when you are out west...like things are too big to take in so you just don't. Quick read and engrossing. Very masculine point-of-view. A couple stories that tackle the father-son relationship/struggle well.
Irish Girl won the 2009 Katherine Ann Porter Short Fiction Prize, so I knew it would be good, but it's one of the best collections I've read in awhile. Several of the stories are so good, you almost don't want to read them because you know you'll never write one as good. "Dirt Men," "Water," "Antlerless Hunt," and the title story, "Irish Girl" are exceptional.
David Sedaris read a passage from this book during his appearance at Royce Hall recently - so of course I had to run out and buy it. Dark, creative stories. Sometimes difficult to follow - most I had to read twice. For me, Wells Tower trumps Tim Johnston.
Very good collection of short stories. They are all a little dark and about people who are a little messed up, but what do you expect from a book named "Irish Girl"? I'm always impressed by writers who can craft deeply compelling stories and still end them well. Definitely a rarity...
A few of these stories are too chaotic for their own good, which I'm sure was done deliberately, but when Johnston really makes something click, like in "Irish Girl," "Antlerless Hunt," "Things Go Missing," and "Up There," god damn. Brilliant.
A collection of 8 dark, short stories that are impeccably written. They're beautiful but creepy. And I don't mean ghost-story-creepy, but more along the lines of an eerily familiar realism. Johnston writes about those traits/habits/choices that make people go to any length to keep them hidden. He writes about them in a way that's secretive, yet extremely revealing - you feel like you're peeking through a keyhole, yet you're getting a widescreen HD view. I'm amazed at how much is conveyed in th...more
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This was a recommendation from David Sedaris when I saw him speak - and it was worth the read! It is a group of short stories that are all so well written and although it is a tad dark - it is a beautiful read!
I like short stories--brief glimpses into the lives of others. These eight stories all have a darkness lurking and coloring the everyday lives of their characters. Very well done.
nice page turner of short stories. not particularly uplifting -not that something such as uplifting is necessary. just the feeling i had after i read them through in one sitting.
A wonderful collection of dark stories that linger in your mind just enough to sour your stomach the next day. I loved them. And I want to know more about this author.
Very dark and foreboding stories, but in a good way, if that makes sense. Very well written, nearly perfect collection. I was fascinated from the very start and couldn't put it down.
David Sedaris highly recommended this book during one of his live shows. I found most of the short stories to be very realistic, quite dark, and ultimately pointles or plotless. I didn't find a connection to most of the characters or any kind of insight. Somewhat disappointing.
Nathalie
marked it as to-read
David Sedaris plugged this book when I saw him speak. The utter darkness and despair he described sounds right up my alley...
Liked when wrote about about the white collar world, but when he ventured off into the blue the writing got ify.
The title story was great and really moving. Couldn't really get into the rest.
Corinna
marked it as to-read
Highly recommended by David Sedaris.
Twisted.
Alyson
rated it
Recommended to Alyson by:
David Sedaris, at his reading at the Mahalia Jackson Theater
Dark, beautifully written tales that make the ordinary seem extraordinary...and vice-versa.
These stories blew me away. Tim Johnston manages to catch fragments of life filled with humanity and fleeting moments that change everything. The writing is dark, beautiful and bare. He manages to say more in 7 pages than some authors do in entire novels. My favorite is probably Water or Things Go Missing...or maybe Irish Girl - damn, they're all so good and unforgettable.
Dark dark dark - real people - snapshots rather than full-blown relationships -
Really well-written stories that disturb on the deeper levels...I had this constant feeling of dread as I pored over each tale, only to never see my over-the-top endings never realized. Subtle and well-constructed.
More stories of troubled adolescence that sometimes expands to young adulthood. Not particularly illuminating or emotional, just mildly interesting. I enjoyed the first story most, and the rest seemed a bit strained.
Very dark, which I normally like but I really wasn't feeling so many depressing short stories in a row.
Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction winner 2009
Wanted to like this more, but didn't
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