A dark coming-of-age novel, this is an impressive debut from Irish author Colin Walsh, winner of several awards for his short stories and named in 2019 the Hennessy new Irish writer of the year. It’s set in 2018 in Kinlough, on the west coast of Ireland, where three friends recall the summer they spent together 15 years earlier. Helen, Joe and Mush belonged to a gang of six teenagers with beautiful, intrepid Kala Lanann at their heart. Then Kala disappeared.
Using narration by three distinct voices, Walsh brilliantly conveys the cruelty, self-absorption and vulnerability of teenagers, their shifting allegiances and betrayals, as well as their love for one another. As we follow the two timelines, we learn of the town’s dark underbelly: the misogyny, the lucrative but brutal world of dog fighting and a cohort of violent men determined to safeguard their interests, whatever the cost.
