From the outset, the Barrøy Chronicles have been concerned with how this island and its denizens are both a part of and apart from the wider world. Generational isolation and self-sufficiency carry with them their own mix of lightness and heaviness, as does incorporation, and this conflict is broad and alive in this third book.

In her second novel, Kleeman has captured the dissociation and simulation of our current moment in time with the mordant acuity of DeLillo and Pynchon.

Don’t miss Barb's virtual conversation with Nicholas Sept 8 at 7 p.m. Check bookshelf.ca later in August for final details.

 From the pen of a lesser writer, her revelations would be embarrassing, but Ní Ghríofa's firm grasp of concrete details combined with a very big intellect raise the horizon