"One of my favorite Irish books ... It’s moving, atmospheric and beautiful." —Tana French in the New York Times

"At the book’s figurative heart is the construction foreman Bobby Mahon, a young husband and father whose moral decency anchors the story. Both his goodness and his brogue lend the novel an old-fashioned, storybook quality ('He drank out the farm to spite his father') that overlaps convincingly with mentions of Facebook, 'prefab' doors and dubious investments in Dubai to create an affecting portrayal of contemporary rural Ireland. With . . . its rotation of voices—sharing regrets and desires along with town gossip—reminiscent of William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and Edgar Lee Masters’s Spoon River Anthology . . . Ryan writes with compassion, honesty and an appealing deadpan humor." —The New York Times Book Review

"Ryan’s compelling, insightful tale chronicles the lives of the residents of a tightknit, rural town in the aftermath of the Irish economic collapse. This short, swift, brutally funny romp through the fallout of a national disaster points to the likelihood of emotional crisis when one’s livelihood and purpose disappear without warning . . . Although a great strength of the book is Ryan’s ability to capture the vernacular of contemporary Ireland and its diverse citizens, from newly arrived immigrants to jaded old men “drinking the farm” in local pubs to young, enterprising university graduates with stacks of useless ambition—the story itself might take place in any country affected by the disastrous economic upheavals of recent years." —The Boston Globe

"A convincing portrait of a good man in a bad time." —The Wall Street Journal

"Irish author Ryan's debut takes readers to the 'heart' of hardscrabble life in Ireland in the era after the economic boom and bust of 2008. The novel received Book of the Year honors at the Irish Book Awards . . . Reminiscent of Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, this book gives readers a story—or rather stories—told from multiple perspectives, each chapter using a different voice . . . Disturbing and unnerving but ultimately beautiful." —Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"[Ryan] credibly conveys the viewpoints of men and women of all ages in language distinct from one section to the next . . . [T]his startling debut reads like a modern Irish twist on William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying." —Library Journal (Starred Review)

"The prose is lyrical, and the voices are authentic. Flashes of humor and tenderness shine through as well, as the helplessness and frustration of an era is effectively captured through the lives of these small-town residents." —Booklist