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A review by karenleagermain
Irish Girl by Tim Johnston
4.0
Last year, I was lucky enough to score tickets to see David Sedaris speak at UCLA. I learned that every year when he goes on tour, he promotes a different writer that he admires. Last year he was promoting Tim Johnston and his short story collection, “Irish Girl Stories.” I immediately put it on my Amazon wishlist and have finally gotten around to reading it.
I really admire Sedaris and respect his opinion, so I read this collection with very high expectations. Johnston is solid writer with this collection of dark, unsettling stories. I felt zero personal connection to any of the characters or stories, yet they still grabbed me. I did feel, that the stories might appeal more to men, as a lot of them have to do with the bonds between brothers and male friendship. I could be off on that, but as a female, I felt like I might be missing a vital piece of understanding.
Johnston is strong in the short story format, but I felt like every single story in the collection could have held it’s own in a longer format. I hope that he decides to write a novel.
I really admire Sedaris and respect his opinion, so I read this collection with very high expectations. Johnston is solid writer with this collection of dark, unsettling stories. I felt zero personal connection to any of the characters or stories, yet they still grabbed me. I did feel, that the stories might appeal more to men, as a lot of them have to do with the bonds between brothers and male friendship. I could be off on that, but as a female, I felt like I might be missing a vital piece of understanding.
Johnston is strong in the short story format, but I felt like every single story in the collection could have held it’s own in a longer format. I hope that he decides to write a novel.