Winner of the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award
Winner of the Guardian First Book Award
Winner of the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature
A stunning introduction to a singular new voice in contemporary fiction.
Enter the small, rural town of Glanbeigh, a place whose fate took a
downturn with the Celtic Tiger, a desolate spot where buffoonery and
tension simmer and erupt, and booze-sodden boredom fills the corners of
every pub and nightclub. Here, and in the towns beyond, the young live
hard and wear the scars. Amongst them, there's jilted Jimmy, whose best
friend Tug is the terror of the town and Jimmy's sole company in his
search for the missing Clancy kid; Bat, a lovesick soul with a face like
"a bowl of mashed up spuds" even before Nubbin Tansey's boot kicked it
in; and Arm, a young and desperate criminal whose destiny is shaped when
he and his partner, Dympna, fail to carry out a job. In each story, a
local voice delineates the grittiness of post boom Irish society. These
are unforgettable characters rendered through silence, humor, and
violence.
Told in Barrett's vibrant, distinctive prose, Young Skins is an
accomplished and irreverent debut from a brilliant writer.
