A review by 23149014345613
Bohane, sombre cité (ROMANS, NOUVELL) by Kevin Barry

2.0

This book is a noir novel, an incomprehensibly thick Irish accent, and a gentleman's style guide mashed together and turned up to 11. If you like phrases such as "a dapper buck in a natty-boy Crombie", "rum ol' love mess for certain" and "Sweet Baba Jay", you will probably enjoy this novel. The style is consistently thick throughout, so you know by page 2 if this is for you or not. Or better yet, just look at the author photo on the back and ask yourself if you'd talk to this guy at a party (my answer: yeah, for a while, after a pint, and I probably wouldn't get a word in edgewise). I liked the Irish slang and the author is definitely *doing something*, but the style was layered on so thick, I felt I had to squint to see the plot through velvet and smoke and blood and grime and rain and and and and.