Sebastian Barry’s fourth novel was published in 2005 and shortlisted for the Booker Prize, a fact which greatly helped bring this accomplished writer to wider audiences. While already an esteemed playwright, this shortlisting, and the highly positive reviews, established Barry as one of Ireland’s major contemporary writers.
The novel adds to the large body of First World War fiction, but does so from an Irish angle, marking it out from its predecessors. It is clearly a historical novel, and also a tragedy, which is inevitable given the subject matter. The mode is realism, for Barry wants to tell what he would argue to be the truth; the novel moves in an entirely linear direction, aiding Barry’s verisimilitude, while using poetic language to achieve poignant and effective lyricism.
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Citation: Turner, Nick. "A Long, Long Way". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 December 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=23032, accessed 26 November 2024.]
