Bernadette Barrett

Succession - midlands of Ireland 2024! I've just finished this and I feel bereft. it's one of the finest contemporary books I have read yet, not just about families, Ireland, communication or lack thereof, touching into society, shame, sexuality, climate change, misplaced purposes, trauma, guilt, and joy, written in the most comedic tragic way. I carried each of the characters through my days and visualised what each of them looked like. It's a challenging book to read, flipping perspectives, long chapters, and the occasional plot twist thrown into random sentences, but for me, the payoff was worth rereading some of the bits where I lost my way. I'm Irish and am blown away by Murray's observations on themes, characters, wit, language, and turns of phrase, I could hear my parents, aunties and uncles all through it, even though I'm more Imelda's age. A stellar, original, relatable, immersive piece of work where I'm still pondering the clever ending. Or is it ?