The Barracks

Now available in the United States — the award-winning debut novel from the author of By the Lake. One of the preeminent Irish writers of our time, John McGahern has captivated readers with such poignant and heart-wrenching novels as Amongst Women and The Dark. Moving between tragedy and savage comedy, desperation and joy, McGahern's first novel, The Barracks, is one of haunting power. Elizabeth Reegan, after years of freedom — and loneliness — marries into the enclosed Irish village of her upbringing. The children are not her own; her husband is straining to break free from the servile security of the police force; and her own life, threatened by illness, seems to be losing the last vestiges of its purpose.

"A formal, graceful prose that rises effortlessly to the moving occasion. There is a quiet authority in his work that promises well for the future." The Times Literary Supplement

"The details are evoked with a scrupulous yet enhancing accuracy that reminds one of the young Joyce. He is astonishingly successful in penetrating the mind of a mature woman confronted with pain and death. Mr. McGahern is the real thing." Spectator (UK)

"[T]old in reserved and beautiful prose, this authoritative novel conveys both the bleakness of the Irish civil servant's lot in the 1960s and the courage needed to face down frustration and despair." Booklist

One of the preeminent Irish writers of our time, John McGahern has captivated readers with such poignant and heart-wrenching novels as "Amongst Women" and "The Dark." Moving between tragedy and savage comedy, desperation and joy, McGahern's first novel, "The Barracks," is one of haunting power. Elizabeth Reegan, after years of freedom — and loneliness — marries into the enclosed Irish village of her upbringing. The children are not her own; her husband is straining to break free from the servile security of the police force; and her own life, threatened by illness, seems to be losing the last vestiges of its purpose.One of the preeminent Irish writers of our time, John McGahern has captivated readers with such poignant and heart-wrenching novels as "Amongst Women" and "The Dark." Moving between tragedy and savage comedy, desperation and joy, McGahern's first novel, "The Barracks," is one of haunting power. Elizabeth Reegan, after years of freedom — and loneliness — marries into the enclosed Irish village of her upbringing. The children are not her own; her husband is straining to break free from the servile security of the police force; and her own life, threatened by illness, seems to be losing the last vestiges of its purpose.

John McGahern was born in Dublin and brought up in the west of Ireland. He is the author of three collections of short stories and six novels, including Amongst Women, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.