LoveReading Says
Whenever a title is released by independent publishers Oneworld, I take notice. It’s such an astonishing feat that this small outfit has been behind two recent Booker Prize winners (A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James and The Sellout by Paul Beatty). With that in mind, I came to The Wild Laughter with high expectations, and it didn’t disappoint. This is a dark and comic tale set just after the economic crash of 2008 in Roscommon in Ireland. When two sibling rivals, Hart and Cormac, are asked by their terminally ill father to end his life, they must overcome their differences. Hughes does an incredibly skilled job of balancing the tough themes of economic difficulties and personal strife with a sense of levity. It’s no beach read but there are brilliantly humorous moments. A talented author whose work I’ll be watching.
Julie Vuong
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The Wild Laughter Synopsis
An exhilarating dark comedy about two brothers confronting their father's fate in contemporary Ireland, from a critically acclaimed Irish author
'Propulsive, raucous, funny and deeply moving... I loved it.' David Nicholls, author of One Day
'Brilliant. A hilarious, poetical black comedy... Do read it.' Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
'A book of wicked intelligence and tender heart.' Max Porter, author of Shy
It's 2008, and the Celtic Tiger has left devastation in its wake. Brothers Hart and Cormac Black are waking up to a very different Ireland - one that widens the chasm between them and brings their beloved father to his knees. Facing a devastating choice that will put their livelihood, even their lives, on the line, the brothers soon learn that their biggest danger comes when there is nothing to lose.
A sharp snapshot of a family and a nation suddenly unmoored, this epic-in-miniature explores cowardice and sacrifice, faith rewarded and abandoned, the stories we tell ourselves and the ones we resist. Hilarious, poignant and utterly fresh, The Wild Laughter cements Caoilinn Hughes' position as one of Ireland's most audacious, nuanced and insightful young writers.
FINALIST FOR THE AN POST IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2020, THE RTÉ RADIO 1 LISTENERS' CHOICE AWARD 2020 & THE DALKEY EMERGING WRITER AWARD 2021
LONGLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE & THE i COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE, 2021
AN IRISH TIMES, IRISH SUNDAY TIMES, IRISH INDEPENDENT & SUNDAY INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR, 2020
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9781786077806 |
Publication date: |
18th June 2020 |
Author: |
Caoilinn Hughes |
Publisher: |
Oneworld an imprint of Oneworld Publications |
Format: |
Hardback |
Pagination: |
198 pages |
Primary Genre |
General Fiction
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Other Genres: |
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