Dead Dogs - Couverture souple

Murphy, Joe

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1907593454 ISBN 13 : 9781907593451

Editeur : Liberties Press Ltd, 2014

Synopsis

Seán Galvin isn't like the other children. While they play and laugh and keep on growing up, Seán doesn't. Instead he does stuff to things. Things like cats and dogs. Bad stuff.

Seán has only one friend, the nameless narrator who tells their story. Their young lives revolve around sport and school. That is until Seán finally does something appalling and the boys have no choice but to tell someone. Someone older. Someone they should be able to trust. What they uncover is a secret far more awful than anything Seán is capable of: they witness a murder. Or do they? Because of their previous behavior, no- one believes them. They begin to unravel a rather sinister series of links between people whom they thought they could trust and the person who they saw committing the crime. Their little rural town becomes a place of cold skepticism and barely-hidden conspiracy. But is there really a conspiracy?

Accused of being 'freaks', they become more and more isolated, and even Seán starts doubting. But the novel's increasingly unhinged narrator embarks on a mission to prove that they saw what they saw and his obsession will see their friendship tested to its limits and their lives changed forever.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse

'...highly readable novel...One of the book's great achievements is how Murphy grounds his protagonists with a recognisable adolescence of the type which brackets the Celtic Tiger years. More than a straightforward mystery so, Murphy's novel interrogates in an almost accidental fashion the processes whereby damaging revelations are received and too often denied by provincial Irish mindsets. Though the idiosyncrasies of his narrator and the character's position of powerlessness add wrinkles to such an analogy, it is difficult to deny that Dead Dogs serves up a critique of accountability, a riff on the corruptibility of those we trust to protect us, as well as a comment on the fluid nature of truth itself. Well worth a read.' --Val Nola, Irish Examiner

With the publication last year of his debut book, 1798, a highly praised swashbuckling historical novel, Wexford native Joe Murphy emerged as one of Irish fiction's most exciting and original writers. His new novel, Dead Dogs is set in present-day Ireland and demonstrates his versatility in this intensely gripping, twisting tale of teenage friendship in a country town. The unnamed narrator and his best friend Sean are slightly odd misfits who have had disruptive childhoods to contend with. The narrator recognises this and knows that his friendship with the unstable Sean will mean he remains an outsider in a town that does not take kindly to eccentric behaviour. When the two friends are caught up in a murderous cover up they are determined to reveal the truth. As their attitude shifts between fearlessness and self-doubt, they have only each other to rely on and as the suspense builds, you become unsure if you can trust the narrator s voice. He knows that his friend Sean is unpredictable 'and is a thing of awful potential, like a boulder balanced over a drop'. The two main characters are very engrossing and Murphy's impressive use of language draws you into their world as he skilfully allows the tension to build to an unpredictable crescendo. This book is absorbing and unforgettable and, as a bookseller, I will be recommending it as one of the books of the year.' --Steve Dillion, Hughes & Hughes Bookshop, Santry

Présentation de l'éditeur

In rural Wexford, a young teenager is worried about his friend Sean - Sean you see has just accidentally killed a pregnant dog and her puppies. Sean isn't stupid but he sometimes gets a bit confused. When the unnamed narrator brings him to Dr. Thorpe's house to see about some new medication they end up watching through the letterbox as Dr Thorpe beats a woman to death. This sharp witted and psychological narrative explores the troubles these teenages face as they move towards a climax that will tear their worlds asunder.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Liberties Press Ltd
• Date d'édition: 2014
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1907593454
• ISBN 13: 9781907593451
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 224
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible