Night Boat to Tangier
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Canongate Books
Published:2nd Apr '20
Should be back in stock very soon
Set in a Spanish port, two aging Irish gangsters confront loss and disarray as they await a boat from Tangier. Their intertwined stories explore themes of love, violence, and redemption.
Night Boat to Tangier is a Booker-longlisted novel that explores themes of sex, death, and the complexities of love against a backdrop of violence and old magic. The story unfolds in the Spanish port of Algeciras, where two aging Irish gangsters await a boat from Tangier. Their lives are intertwined with loss, as one grapples with a lost lover and the other with a missing daughter. This poignant narrative delves into the characters' pasts, revealing how their choices have led them to this moment of uncertainty and reflection.
The novel has garnered significant acclaim, being longlisted for the Booker Prize and recognized as an Irish Times Number One Bestseller. It has also been shortlisted for various prestigious awards, including the Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards and the Dalkey Literary Awards. Critics have praised it as a standout work of the year, with numerous publications, such as The New York Times and The Atlantic, highlighting it as a must-read.
With beautifully crafted prose, the book invites readers to ponder the fragility of human connections and the possibility of redemption. The atmosphere is steeped in tension and nostalgia, as the characters navigate their regrets and hopes for the future. Night Boat to Tangier is not just a tale of gangsters; it is a profound exploration of love, loss, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world.
A blackly comic journey into the abyss . . . Beautifully written . . . Barry is a clarvoyant narrator of the male psyche and a consistent lyrical visionary . . . What distinguishes this book beyond its humour, terror and beauty of description is its moral perception . . . It is a plunging spiritual immersion into the parlous souls of wrongful men -- Alan Warner * * Guardian * *
I devoured Night Boat to Tangier. I loved the potent truth of it all, drenched in damage and romance. The Barry turn of phrase is a true wonder of this world -- MAX PORTER
It's a Kevin Barry novel, so the brilliance is expected; everything else is a brilliant surprise -- RODDY DOYLE
The novel 2019 has been waiting for - a masterpiece delivered by a glittering talent at the peak of his powers. It leaves the rest of the class looking somewhat underpowered and unambitious, perhaps even a bit shop-worn . . . If Beatlebone was his breakout work, Night Boat to Tangier should cement the Irishman's place among the literary elite * * Big Issue * *
If prose were gold and diamonds there'd be thousands of hell-bent prospectors heading for the Black Hills of Kevin Barry's glistening, sparkling novel -- SEBASTIAN BARRY
Barry is riding the waves with Night Boat to Tangier . . . Reminiscent of Waiting for Godot * * The Times * *
I had to quit reading this book the first day I had it in my hands, just so I could have it to read the next day. It's that good -- RICHARD FORD
Extremely talented creator, Kevin Barry, has a fine instinct for the sweet spot where the comforting familiarities of genre blend into the surprises and provocations of art . . . Powerfully evoked * * New York Times Book Review * *
Brilliantly funny and terrifying at once, I was completely lost inside its dark craziness. Barry blends glorious voluptuous prose with entrancing storytelling -- TESSA HADLEY
Captures male friendship with rare brilliance . . . The pair's vaudevillian patter, dancing back and forth with an irrepressibly buoyant Irish rhythm, reminds you of Didi and Gogo in Beckett's Waiting for Godot, while their gleefully ominous threats of violence bristle off the page in a way that recalls Harold Pinter or Martin McDonagh . . . Startlingly good * * Independent * *
- Short-listed for Irish Book Awards Eason Novel of the Year 2019 (Ireland)
- Short-listed for Irish Book Awards The Last Word Listeners' Choice Award 2019 (Ireland)
- Short-listed for Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award 2020 (Ireland)
- Short-listed for Dalkey Literary Awards: Novel of the Year 2020 (Ireland)
- Long-listed for The Booker Prize 2019 (UK)
ISBN: 9781782116202
Dimensions: 200mm x 130mm x 15mm
Weight: 159g
224 pages
Main