Inventory: A Family Portrait of Derry’s Troubled Past

by Darran Anderson

‘Astonishing… A marvellous poetic reminder that every place is a universe of magical possibility to the perceptive mind’ Damian Le Bas, author of The Stopping Places

A smuggler and a deserter, Darran Anderson’s grandfathers skirted the Second World War on the fringes of legality. His father survived the height of the political violence in Northern Ireland and Darran himself came of age during the final years of the Troubles before leaving his hometown to find a way to exist in the world.

But when another young man in his family disappears, Darran is brought back to Derry. Walking the banks of the River Foyle, he starts on a search for what has been lost. A portrait of a city, a biography of a family, a record of the objects that make up a life, Inventory offers a vital new perspective on a troubled history.

Genres: Nonfiction

368 pages, Paperback

Published February 11, 2021

About the author

Darran Anderson is an Irish nonfiction writer who lives in London. He is the author of ‘Inventory’ (Chatto & Windus/Farrar, Straus & Giroux) and 'Imaginary Cities' (Influx Press/University of Chicago Press).

Reviews

[Conor Dooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

With most accomplishments or things worth doing we tend to only see the clean finished product. What makes this memoir so compelling however is that I felt the labour and hardship that went into it. This is a raw and gritty book about a city and a family that have been through a punishing time.

I have so much admiration for the research and effort that went into putting this story together. Aside from exquisitely detailing a narrative of people and place, the writing was beautiful and toed that delicate balance of being poetic while not overbearing. I also had plenty of laughs along the way and I wonder if I will ever attend a session so severe that it would make me consider becoming a Born Again Christian. I kind of hope so...

I feel this is a book that nearly did not get written, it could have easily ended up in the Foyle in a multitude of ways. But it didn't, it is thankfully here for everyone to appreciate and tells a story absolutely worth telling.

[Siobhan Kennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing memoir set in my home town. Lyrical and emotional- so many familiar things from my childhood and so much new information of things that I was sheltered from. Reinforcing again the privilege of a safe and secure childhood in shaping the adult. It raised feelings of true anger for what happened in Northern Ireland and is eerily similar to events today in Palestine - nothing changes sadly.