Billy O’Callaghan is primarily an Irish short story writer, but in his novel “Life Sentences,” he writes three extended short stories, each one about a family member and how their lives persevered in their own times. How did each one live out their “life sentence” (their time on earth) by living up to their struggles, helping one another, relying on family, and finding their own way? They did it with heart, with courage, with truth, by learning to move forward, and ultimately by the love of family members who saw them through.
But those words hardly convey the beauty of O’Callaghan’s sentences describing each life. His sentences are beautiful, heart-breaking, life-giving, and, finally, revelatory for the reader. You will smell, hear, feel, taste and be touched by the realities of all three person’s lives. You will want to write down particular sentences O’Callaghan writes in order to remember to live by them. The final surprise is that the sentences of the book are those actually heard by O’Callaghan from his mother, his grandfather, his great-grandmother. It is as real as can be.
Three words that describe this book: beautifully written, heart-wrenching, life-affirming
You might want to pick this book up if: you want to learn more about Irish history from the Great Famine to today… learn from three generations of a fully revealed family’s struggle, love, and strength… learn how look at your own life with grace and forgiveness and hope.
-Woody
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
