The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry

March 10, 2026

The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry

Tom Rourke is a drifter in the mining town of Butte, Montana, in 1891. He emigrated from Ireland and landed in Butte along with thousands of other Irish immigrants, where a good income could be earned working in the mines. But he is unsuited to the work and soon finds himself working part-time at a second class photography studio and spending the rest of his time drinking, smoking opium, and patronizing the town brothels. At the studio, he meets the new wife of one of the mine owners, who is decidedly lower class than her new husband, and the pair decide to run off together. But the miner wants his wife back and sends a bounty hunter to track them.

I picked up Barry's latest book from the library, and it had a romance sticker on the spine. It is NOT a romance - Barry writes literary fiction, usually about the grittier side of life. Yes, there are two people who may be star-crossed lovers who run away together, but you know right away that there is no happily-ever-after going to happen. I've read Kevin Barry before so I had an idea what to expect. The language is poetic but the lack of punctuation makes the dialogue difficult to follow at times. There is a Bonnie & Clyde vibe here, two doomed lovers who know they are doomed, repeatedly make the wrong choice, and know they are doing it. This is a Western adventure populated by the author's usual Irish characters and their dark humor and outlook on life. Other reviewers have compared this novel to the TV series Deadwood, which I loved. Not for everyone.

Butte, Montana, in the late 19th century

Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry

 July 12, 2020

Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry

Career criminals Maurice and Charlie wait in the ferry boat terminal in Algeciras, Spain.  They have been told that Maurice's missing daughter Dilly will be either arriving on the ferry boat coming from Tangier, Morocco, or departing on one of the ferries going to Tangier.  In between handing out missing person flyers and terrorizing the waiting passengers, they reminisce about their long life of crime together.

Kevin Barry won the Dublin IMPAC award in 2013 for his previous novel City of Bohane, set in a gritty Ireland of the not-too-distant future.  Night Boat to Tangier is written in the same Irish colloquial dialect, salted with frequent vulgarities.  Sometimes it's hard to figure out which of the two main characters is speaking/thinking, since the author doesn't bother with phrases like "Maurice said" or "Charlie replied."  If you're easily offended by curse words and disturbed by various types of abuse, Kevin Barry is not for you.

This is my second week of retirement, and it's been hectic to say the least.  On Monday, a woman in an SUV hit the front end of my car when she was turning left into a parking lot (or maybe she was trying to make a u-turn).  Tuesday was spent finding a repair shop and getting a rental car, a cute little Hyundai Elantra hatchback.  Hyundai wasn't on my new-car-buying radar but the Elantra is a small sedan, very quiet and nice to drive.  Today I'm venturing out to the library to return a couple of books and to the grocery store for a few items.

On the plus side, my good friend Marj Monaghan stopped by and we had coffee and conversation on my patio in the backyard.  She brought a yummy carrot cake and flowers from Whole Foods.  It's always so good to catch up with her.

The rescue group (As Good as Gold) has identified an adopter that they think will be a good fit for foster guy Tommy.  They are coming to visit him on Tuesday.  Is he a cutie or what?

Tommy, the foster dog

I also talked to Bonnie at the library, who had some good work gossip in addition to needing to vent.  She is going to come over and drink wine on the patio one of these days.  AND I got the first shipment of wine from Winc - the LIT staff gave me a gift certificate as a retirement gift.  So much fun to try different kinds of wine!