Maurice and Charlie, longtime partners in crime, wait at a ferry terminal in the Spanish port of Algeciras for Maurice’s missing daughter, Dilly.

The writing style is raw and realistic, and evokes a sense of grimness and bleakness. It reads a lot like dry humour, but embedded within the clever prose is a story of addiction, deeply flawed characters, regrets, violence, and romance. This is a book that needs to be read slowly to feel its full impact. Kevin Barry doesn’t miss anything in the way he creates and “un-creates” atmospheres. It’s almost like watching a movie; it’s super evocative. The treatment of the prose is actually a lot like a movie script. Another thing I found really cool is the (self-made) parallel between the prose and the characters. The prose is short, brief, and “rambly”; much like how a tired and sleepy person might speak. It mirrors the main characters’ state of minds really well.

The book also moves back and forth in time as the 2 gangsters wait for Dilly to arrive, or leave. The chapters detail pivotal snippets from their life and this is what gives so much depth to all the characters.

I do feel some of the language is slightly inaccessible for me as I'm not Irish (gasp). But, there is enough context in and around these dialogues. The first few pages can actually be a bit tough to follow, as there are no usual indicators of which character is speaking. However, once I got used to it, I couldn’t stop reading.

I'd recommend this book.