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The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty

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Paperback
$22.00 US
5.06"W x 7.69"H x 0.72"D   | 9 oz | 54 per carton
On sale Aug 01, 1999 | 336 Pages | 9780140280180

Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as "the finest book to come out of Europe this year," The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty is acclaimed Irish playwright Sebastian Barry's lyrical tale of a fugitive everyman.

Sebastian Barry's latest novel, Days Without End, is now available. 

For Eneas McNulty, a happy, innocent childhood in County Sligo in the early 1900s gives way to an Ireland wracked by violence and conflict. Unable to find work in the depressed times after World War I, Eneas joins the British-led police force, the Royal Irish Constabularya decision that alters the course of his life. Branded a traitor by Irish nationalists and pursued by IRA hitmen, Eneas is forced to flee his homeland, his family, and Viv, the woman he loves. His wandering terminates on the Isle of Dogs, a haven for sailors, where a lifetime of loss is redeemed by a final act of generosity. The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty is the story of a lost man and a compelling saga that illuminates Ireland's complex history.

"It's a symphony of a novel, and you'll sing along and wander with Eneas McNulty into the next century."—Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes

"Magnificent...No one who loves fiction will want to reach the end of this bewitching, penetrating, unforgettable book."—San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

"The story that emerges through Barry's lens is so cohesive, so gracefully rendered, that his words have the stony allur eof the Irish poetes and the lyrical pull of an epic storyteller...A beautiful story."—The Boston Globe 

"From the first sentences of the book we know we are in the hands of a master storyteller with important things to say about history and the individual's role in it. Eneas's gripping and tragic story serves as a reminder of the fine line that exists between hero and murderer, politician and criminal."—The Wall Street Journal

"Barry's language is honed to an impressive edge... There's not an ill-wrought sentence here, and most of them glitter and spin off the page with the kind of impact that begs for them to be read aloud."—The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Sebastian Barry uses the language with great imagination but never overwrites. This book is a wonderful gift, in every sense."—The Washington Post 

"Barry endows Eneas with so much gentleness that we can't help caring about him...Above all, it is the splendor of the writing that rivets our attention. Barry is a spellbinder in the great Irish tradition."—New York Newsday

"Barry brings beautiful and poetic language to bear on a painful and unsettling part of Irish history...A surprising and emotional novel; high recommended."—Library Journal 
© Hannah Cunningham
Sebastian Barry was born in Dublin in 1955. The 2018-21 Laureate for Irish Fiction, he is the author of nine novels, five of which have been long- or short-listed for The Booker Prize, most recently Old God’s Time (2023). His work has won numerous awards in Ireland, the UK, and France, including the Costa Book of the Year award, the Walter Scott Prize, and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. In the U.S., his novels have been recognized by the ALA Carnegie Medal (longlist), the Los Angeles Times Book Prize (shortlist), and the High Plains Book Award (winner). He lives in County Wicklow, Ireland. View titles by Sebastian Barry

About

Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as "the finest book to come out of Europe this year," The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty is acclaimed Irish playwright Sebastian Barry's lyrical tale of a fugitive everyman.

Sebastian Barry's latest novel, Days Without End, is now available. 

For Eneas McNulty, a happy, innocent childhood in County Sligo in the early 1900s gives way to an Ireland wracked by violence and conflict. Unable to find work in the depressed times after World War I, Eneas joins the British-led police force, the Royal Irish Constabularya decision that alters the course of his life. Branded a traitor by Irish nationalists and pursued by IRA hitmen, Eneas is forced to flee his homeland, his family, and Viv, the woman he loves. His wandering terminates on the Isle of Dogs, a haven for sailors, where a lifetime of loss is redeemed by a final act of generosity. The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty is the story of a lost man and a compelling saga that illuminates Ireland's complex history.

Praise

"It's a symphony of a novel, and you'll sing along and wander with Eneas McNulty into the next century."—Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes

"Magnificent...No one who loves fiction will want to reach the end of this bewitching, penetrating, unforgettable book."—San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

"The story that emerges through Barry's lens is so cohesive, so gracefully rendered, that his words have the stony allur eof the Irish poetes and the lyrical pull of an epic storyteller...A beautiful story."—The Boston Globe 

"From the first sentences of the book we know we are in the hands of a master storyteller with important things to say about history and the individual's role in it. Eneas's gripping and tragic story serves as a reminder of the fine line that exists between hero and murderer, politician and criminal."—The Wall Street Journal

"Barry's language is honed to an impressive edge... There's not an ill-wrought sentence here, and most of them glitter and spin off the page with the kind of impact that begs for them to be read aloud."—The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Sebastian Barry uses the language with great imagination but never overwrites. This book is a wonderful gift, in every sense."—The Washington Post 

"Barry endows Eneas with so much gentleness that we can't help caring about him...Above all, it is the splendor of the writing that rivets our attention. Barry is a spellbinder in the great Irish tradition."—New York Newsday

"Barry brings beautiful and poetic language to bear on a painful and unsettling part of Irish history...A surprising and emotional novel; high recommended."—Library Journal 

Author

© Hannah Cunningham
Sebastian Barry was born in Dublin in 1955. The 2018-21 Laureate for Irish Fiction, he is the author of nine novels, five of which have been long- or short-listed for The Booker Prize, most recently Old God’s Time (2023). His work has won numerous awards in Ireland, the UK, and France, including the Costa Book of the Year award, the Walter Scott Prize, and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. In the U.S., his novels have been recognized by the ALA Carnegie Medal (longlist), the Los Angeles Times Book Prize (shortlist), and the High Plains Book Award (winner). He lives in County Wicklow, Ireland. View titles by Sebastian Barry