The End of the World is a Cul de Sac by Louise Kennedy #bookreview

I purchased this book for my own personal collection.

Publisher: Riverhead Books

Published: December 5, 2023

Summary:

In The End of the World is a Cul de Sac the political is intertwined with the personal, as Louise Kennedy reveals how ordinary lives can get caught up in a wider, national drama.

Sarah, abandoned by her partner, sits alone in their brand new house.

Orla, facing the strange revenge of her husband, is forced to judge a contest in the local fête.

Peter raises his daughter in rural seclusion, at what might as well be the end of the world.

Louise Kennedy started writing at the age of forty-seven, and her prose is instilled with a clarity and wisdom born of her own experience. This collection announces a major new voice in literary fiction for the twenty-first century.

My thoughts:

After loving Louise Kennedy’s full-length novel, Trespasses last year, I knew I would be reading anything she wrote, so of course I had to buy her collection of short stories. This is something I’ve really come to enjoy over the past few years and this collection was no exception.

As with most collections of short stories, I liked some more than others and I wanted more from some. This collection is about women living in rural Ireland and we find them in some devastating situations. They really show a rather bleak side of life, but that is what I have come to love about Kennedy’s writing – she doesn’t hold anything back. While there is heartbreak in all the stories, the author manages to bring some lightness in at times and of course there is her trademark wit throughout. I also loved how each story evoked such a strong sense of place. This collection broke me, pulling out all the emotions and yet I know it’s a collection I will read again and again.

I cannot recommend this collection of short stories enough, as well as her novel, Trespasses. Louise Kennedy has solidified herself as a must-read author for me and I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

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