The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty - by Sebastian Barry (Paperback)

About the Book

Unable to find work in a depressed Ireland after World War I, Eneas McNulty joins the British-led police force, the Royal Irish Constabulary--a decision that alters the course of his life.

Book Synopsis

Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as "the finest book to come out of Europe this year," The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty is acclaimed Irish playwright Sebastian Barry's lyrical tale of a fugitive everyman.

Sebastian Barry's latest novel, Days Without End, is now available.

For Eneas McNulty, a happy, innocent childhood in County Sligo in the early 1900s gives way to an Ireland wracked by violence and conflict. Unable to find work in the depressed times after World War I, Eneas joins the British-led police force, the Royal Irish Constabulary--a decision that alters the course of his life. Branded a traitor by Irish nationalists and pursued by IRA hitmen, Eneas is forced to flee his homeland, his family, and Viv, the woman he loves. His wandering terminates on the Isle of Dogs, a haven for sailors, where a lifetime of loss is redeemed by a final act of generosity. The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty is the story of a lost man and a compelling saga that illuminates Ireland's complex history.

Review Quotes

"It's a symphony of a novel, and you'll sing along and wander with Eneas McNulty into the next century."--Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes

"Magnificent...No one who loves fiction will want to reach the end of this bewitching, penetrating, unforgettable book."--San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

"The story that emerges through Barry's lens is so cohesive, so gracefully rendered, that his words have the stony allur eof the Irish poetes and the lyrical pull of an epic storyteller...A beautiful story."--The Boston Globe

"From the first sentences of the book we know we are in the hands of a master storyteller with important things to say about history and the individual's role in it. Eneas's gripping and tragic story serves as a reminder of the fine line that exists between hero and murderer, politician and criminal."--The Wall Street Journal

"Barry's language is honed to an impressive edge... There's not an ill-wrought sentence here, and most of them glitter and spin off the page with the kind of impact that begs for them to be read aloud."--The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Sebastian Barry uses the language with great imagination but never overwrites. This book is a wonderful gift, in every sense."--The Washington Post

"Barry endows Eneas with so much gentleness that we can't help caring about him...Above all, it is the splendor of the writing that rivets our attention. Barry is a spellbinder in the great Irish tradition."--New York Newsday

"Barry brings beautiful and poetic language to bear on a painful and unsettling part of Irish history...A surprising and emotional novel; high recommended."--Library Journal

About the Author

Sebastian Barry was born in Dublin in 1955. His plays include Boss Grady's Boys (1988), The Steward of Christendom (1995), Our Lady of Sligo (1998), The Pride of Parnell Street (2007), and Dallas Sweetman (2008). Among his novels are The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty (1998), Annie Dunne (2002) and A Long Long Way (2005), the latter shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. His poetry includes The Water-Colourist (1982), Fanny Hawke Goes to the Mainland Forever (1989) and The Pinkening Boy (2005). His awards include the Irish-America Fund Literary Award, The Christopher Ewart-Biggs Prize, the London Critics Circle Award, The Kerry Group Irish Fiction Prize, and Costa Awards for Best Novel and Book of the Year. He lives in Wicklow with his wife Ali, and three children, Merlin, Coral, and Tobias.