21 Irish Novels for the 21st Century

Let’s just get this out of the way: this St. Patrick’s Day list of 21 Irish Novels for the 21st Century is absurdly incomplete. Where are Colm Tóibín, Emma Donoghue, Roddy Doyle or William Trevor? There’s no Anne Enright, or John Boyne, or John Banville or his alter-ego Benjamin Black; no Tana French or Ken Bruen – all wonderful worthwhile writers, to be sure, but you already know about them, don’t you? So: here are some other 21st Century Irish writers and novels, including maybe just a few that you haven’t already heard of.

Fans of Sally Rooney’s truly brilliant, achingly human Normal People – haven’t read it? it’s amazing: you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, trust me – may also enjoy Michelle Gallen’s recent U.S. debut Big Girl, Small Town, a deviously funny tale set in post-troubles Northern Ireland that calls to mind the show Derry Girls, and also Naoise Dolan’s Exciting Times, a wry and insightful novel in which Irish expat Ava becomes entangled in a love triangle with a male banker and a female lawyer. Paul Murray’s Skippy Dies is an absolute joy, capturing the pain and beauty of growing up – or failing to grow up – in suburban Ireland. Then there’s the quirky, everyday magic of Rónán Hession’s Leonard and Hungry Paul, a sweet thoughtful book about two friends living little lives that turn out to be very large, one of my own favorites of 2020. Ciatriona Lally’s Eggshells also brings plenty of Celtic quirk in its story of a young woman seeking friendship and enchantment in the streets of Dublin.

When it comes to quirk, the country that gave us Laurence Sterne, James Joyce and Samuel Beckett has never wanted for iconoclastic stylists. Mike McCormick’s amazing Solar Bones, say, comprised of a single unspooling stream of consciousness on life, death, and Ireland. Or the wondrous and revelatory vignettes comprising Claire-Louise Bennett’s Pond. Or Sara Baum’s Spill Simmer Falter Wither, in which a disabled man bares it all to his one-eyed dog.

Lying in the gutter, but still looking at the stars? (Thanks, Oscar). Readers seeking a more gritty edge should check out Lisa McInerney’s The Glorious Heresies, as well as Those We Left Behind, one of many outstanding crime novels by Stuart Neville (Adrian McKinty is really good too, all you Tana French fans), or Liz Nugent’s intense psychological thriller Unraveling Oliver. Ruth Gilligan’s The Butcher’s Blessing lends a haunting mythic tinge to shocking murder. Donal Ryan’s disarming and beautifully The Spinning Heart reveals one man’s – and one country’s – fall in 21 chapters, narrated by 21 characters. Louise O’Neill’s unforgettable Asking For It offers a powerful exploration of misogyny and sexual violence, making it essential reading for teens and adults alike.

Still more great titles to be found in this list in our catalog. Oh, and finally – not a novel – but check out Being Various: New Irish Short Stories to read short fiction by many of the folks mentioned above, and still others we couldn’t fit in.

     ~ Posted by David W.