Booker season continues with Sebastian Barry’s Old God’s Time (Viking 2023). Barry is no stranger to the longlist – out of 9 novels, he’s been longlisted for 5 (2 of which made it to the shortlist – we’ll see what the fates hold for this one). It’s a very prettily told story with – a deep dive into a character study where the plot gets a bit murky on purpose. Everything in Old God’s Time is on purpose – the rhythms, the punctuation, the word choice, the confusion – Barry proves himself quite the mastermind. And while I can appreciate the skill that went into this work, it just wasn’t for me. To be fair, there were initially parts of the novel that reminded me of Backman’s A Man Called Ove, and I was disappointed to not feel any connection or affection for Tom Kettle; Old God’s Time is certainly not a hearthug.
The novel rages like a storm, flashing through the past, stirring up ghosts, and leaving both you and recently retired Detective Tom Kettle questioning what is real, what is imagined, and if we’re all a little mad. At the core of the novel is the Catholic priest sexual abuse scandals in Ireland and a man whose life and love were forever scarred by the abuse. Tom has his own history with abuse, but his wife June was raped from the age of 6 until 12 by a priest while the nuns looked the other way. Trigger warning – these memories are gulps of air and screams on the pages. Unable to shake a past that destroyed her, June dies by suicide. “His wife. The epic woman. Who had survived everything except survival.” By the time Tom has retired, both of his children have also died. He is alone with his ghosts and his memories – at least until two young detectives show up with an old unsolved case and questions.
It’s a novel of loneliness, grief, regret, revenge, and a love you’d die for – drenched and swollen with the rains until the truth becomes blurry and we all become a bit mad. Had I been in a different mood, I may have enjoyed it more – but even with it not resonating with me, I can’t fault the art behind the work.
Booker count: 4 of 13
**One of the 2023 judges is a Shakespeare scholar. I’ve decided to keep track of the novels that name drop Shakespeare or his works. This one has references out the wazoo from Dracula to Poe to The Bridges of Madison County to Alice in Wonderland. I think there’s like a Shakespeare reference, and I just missed it. There is a Hamlet cigarillo, but that brand is named for a famous Cuban cigar roller and not the bard’s work. I’m leaving it at 3 for now.
A Girl Named Tommi 