Reviews Published in the Boston Globe Dehumanized and desperate, but make it Irish in Paul Lynch’s gripping ‘Prophet Song’ Dec 06, 2023 / By Michael Patrick Brady When is it time to flee your country? When the election doesn’t go your way? Maybe that’s too rash. When … Making the Emerald Isle modern Mar 17, 2022 / By Michael Patrick Brady When the people of Ireland overwhelmingly voted to repeal the country’s constitutional amendment banning abortion in May 2018, it represented … In ‘Mr. Beethoven’ imagining what if the legendary composer had spent time in Boston Oct 21, 2021 / By Michael Patrick Brady In 1833, J.J. Whatson, a mariner, and Peter Wortley, a shoemaker, arrived in Boston on a ship named Florida. Why … Risks are taken by characters and author in ‘Behind the Moon’ June 09, 2017 / By Michael Patrick Brady Madison Smartt Bell found renown with a trilogy of novels about the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, one of which, “All Soul’s Rising,’’ was afinalist for a National Book Award Weaving history and fiction into a dark story of our tenuous grip on reality Mar 31, 2017 / By Michael Patrick Brady “Life is a hideous thing,” wrote H.P. Lovecraft, “and from the background behind what we know of it peer daemonical … A saga of a journalist who has no story of his own Nov 03, 2016 / By Michael Patrick Brady In his 19th novel, The Eastern Shore,” Ward Just examines the life of newspaper editor Ned Ayers as he grapples … A series of short, short stories delves in the ties between fathers and sons May 04, 2016 / By Michael Patrick Brady “[N]o system,” writes Adam Ehrlich Sachs, “can endure that much uninterrupted introspection.” And yet “Inherited Disorders,” his charming and witty … ‘The Library at Mount Char’ by Scott Hawkins Jul 02, 2015 / By Michael Patrick Brady In “The Library at Mount Char,” author Scott Hawkins creates an engrossing fantasy world full of supernatural beings and gruesome … ‘Numero Zero,’ by Umberto Eco Nov 17, 2015 / By Michael Patrick Brady In his 2004 collection of essays, On Literature,” Umberto Eco makes reference to a story he worked on after the … ‘The Pinch: A Novel/A History’ by Steve Stern Jun 25, 2015 / By Michael Patrick Brady In Memphis, the neighborhood around North Main Street has long been known as the Pinch, and its name recalls the … ‘After the Parade’ by Lori Ostlund Sep 21, 2015 / By Michael Patrick Brady In her debut novel, “After the Parade,” award-winning short-story writer Lori Ostlund has crafted an extended meditation on memory and … ‘Refund’ by Karen E. Bender Jan 13, 2015 / By Michael Patrick Brady “Our story,” says one of Karen E. Bender’s characters, “was the usual sad story of our current era.” Indeed, at … ‘Find Me’ by Laura van den Berg Feb 17, 2015 / By Michael Patrick Brady In her debut novel, “Find Me,” author Laura van den Berg tells the story of a lost woman who discovers … ‘Against the Country’ by Ben Metcalf Jan 06, 2015 / By Michael Patrick Brady In his poem The Task,” the 18th-century English poet William Cowper wrote that “God made the country, and man made … ‘No Future for You’ Aug 21, 2014 / By Michael Patrick Brady If the title of “No Future for You,” the third collection of essays from the The Baffler magazine, wasn’t bleak … ‘Double Down’ by Mark Halperin, John Heilemann Nov 12, 2013 / By Michael Patrick Brady In “Game Change,” their chronicle of the 2008 presidential election, Mark Halperin and John Heilemann recount a story in which … ‘North of Boston’ by Elisabeth Elo Jan 27, 2014 / By Michael Patrick Brady “Oh, right. Let’s talk about me. First, I’m cold. Now sarcastic. You’d think I was the one with the problem.” … ‘Bad Teeth’ by Dustin Long Mar 25, 2014 / By Michael Patrick Brady In his 1963 review of Thomas Pynchon’s “V.”, George Plimpton used the term “American picaresque” to describe a style being … ‘The Color Master’ by Aimee Bender Aug 20, 2013 / By Michael Patrick Brady Author Aimee Bender is renowned for her subversive approach to storytelling, and her new collection of short stories doesn’t disappoint. … ‘Communion Town’ by Sam Thompson Dec 17, 2013 / By Michael Patrick Brady Sam Thompson’s debut novel, “Communion Town,” earned a spot on the long list of candidates for last year’s prestigious Man … ‘Illusion of Separateness’ by Simon Van Booy Jul 09, 2013 / By Michael Patrick Brady In sociology, the small world theory” holds that any two people can be connected to one another along a chain … ‘Wish You Were Here’ by Graham Swift Apr 18, 2012 / By Michael Patrick Brady ‘When you shine a torch at night,” writes British novelist Graham Swift, “it lights your way, but makes the surrounding … ‘Schroder’ by Amity Gaige Feb 14, 2013 / By Michael Patrick Brady We like to believe we are the authors of our own lives, but so much of who we are is … ‘Odds Against Tomorrow’ by Nathaniel Rich Apr 16, 2013 / By Michael Patrick Brady For the millennial generation, who came of age as the relative calm of the late 20th century gave way to … ‘Fools’ by Joan Silber Jun 04, 2013 / By Michael Patrick Brady ‘The paths of love,” writes Joan Silber, “are long and complicated.” In “Fools,” her latest collection of short fiction, Silber … ‘Traveler of the Century’ by Andrés Neuman May 14, 2012 / By Michael Patrick Brady Argentinean-born author Andrés Neuman has been racking up accolades in his adopted Spain since the tender age of 22, and … ‘With the Animals’ by Noëlle Revaz May 26, 2012 / By Michael Patrick Brady In her daring and disturbing first novel, “With the Animals,” Franco-Swiss author Noëlle Revaz takes readers on a journey into … ‘Our Lady of Alice Bhatti’ by Mohammed Hanif Jun 13, 2012 / By Michael Patrick Brady ‘Everyone is holding a gun to everyone else’s head,” a senior nurse tells Alice Bhatti, “If guns could get anyone … ‘ All In the Family’ by Robert O. Self Sep 25, 2012 / By Michael Patrick Brady When this country was founded, the right to vote — and thus, the ability to determine the character of the … ‘Norumbega Park’ by Anthony Giardina Jan 31, 2012 / By Michael Patrick Brady It’s comforting to believe that doing the “right’’ things – working hard, finding the perfect home in a nice town, … ‘Broken Irish’ by Edward J. Delaney Sep 10, 2011 / By Michael Patrick Brady South Boston’s hardscrabble history and abundant local color make it fertile ground for fiction, but it’s often done a disservice … ‘Saladin’ by Anne-Marie Eddé Nov 07, 2011 / By Michael Patrick Brady In “The Divine Comedy,’’ Dante reserves the peaceful, first circle of Hell for virtuous pagans, historical figures of noble standing … ‘Becoming Dickens’ by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst Nov 12, 2011 / By Michael Patrick Brady Few writers have embodied the values and virtues of their time as thoroughly as Charles Dickens. The story of his … ‘420 Characters’ by Lou Beach Dec 10, 2011 / By Michael Patrick Brady New forms of communication present new opportunities for innovation in storytelling. In Japan, the “keitai shousetsu,’’ or cellphone novel, has … Ben Loory’s short stories are long on imagination Jul 29, 2011 / By Michael Patrick Brady BOOK REVIEW STORIES FOR NIGHTTIME AND SOME FOR THE DAY By Ben Loory Penguin, 210 pp., paperback, $15 In Ben … Eden’ traces the roads that led to Boston October 13, 2010 / By Michael Patrick Brady Bostonians of the 19th century believed they could transform their small town into a thriving, harmonious metropolis, andfought bitterly over how best to do it.