Roger Dowdy

Sebastian Barry's "Old God's Time", 2023, Viking/Random House, is a deeply engrossing novel which kept me reading way into the night (& morning at times). I was initially drawn to the novel, first because I am a fan of Sebastian Barry, and (like many book-lovers) the book-title & cover design (by David Litman) was enough to grab this off the shelf.... purchase & read! Reading/experiencing the voice and ruminations of 'old' retired dective, Tom Kettle, is like sitting next to him - he, in his iconic wicker chair, and I listening to his 'story', his 're-collections'. I found myself drawn page by page, chapter by chapter, as though I was his pastor/spiritual guide listening to his struggles to piece together pivotal life moments, missteps, loves, losses...whether true, real, or imagined. 'Sitting' next to "Tom" and listening to his soulful attempts to reassemble his 'old-god's-time' life-story, you're are guaranteed to be engaged throughout....to the "strange privilege...and lovely wildness" of the novel's final page.