Mothers and Sons

Colm Tóibín is a writer of extraordinary emotional clarity. Each of the nine stories is a snapshot of a point of crisis . . . Tóibín perfectly understands the instantaneous nature of the ideal short story; the sense that the pen is going straight into a major vein. These are beautiful stories, beautifully crafted. -- Kate Saunders * Literary Review * The last story in this excellent collection is a superbly powerful tale of betrayal and desertion. Quintessential Tóibín. * Spectator * Moving . . . beautifully captured moments of longing and loss . . . Tóibín is a subtle, intelligent and deeply felt writer. * Guardian * By turns surprising and illuminating, always beautifully written, Mothers and Sons places Tóibín in the front rank of modern Irish fiction . . . It may not be going too far to suggest Irish fiction has found its first Master of the new century. * Scotland on Sunday * It’s truly remarkable that a writer of Tóibín’s great felicity, immense seriousness and general large awareness – a writer so naturally gifted as a novelist – can deliver short stories of such subtle empathy and brilliance. He’s dazzling. -- Richard Ford Tóibín is a master of understated emotions. From wintry landscapes, bereft of human life, to crowded pubs filled with musicians, every scene has the ring of truth. * Mail on Sunday * All the stories share a miraculous density. Short but weighty, they contain whole lives. * Sunday Times * Subtly and exquisitely written, the language never forced but utterly rooted in real worlds. Each story is haunting and memorable. -- Dermot Bolger * Evening Herald * Some of the most accomplished and nuanced soundings contemporary fiction has to offer. * New York Times *