Karl Geary was born in Dublin, and moved to New York City at age sixteen. He cofounded two East Village institutions: the music venue Sin–é, and later the Scratcher. He has worked as a scriptwriter (Coney Island Baby) and an actor (Michael Almereyda’s Hamlet; Ken Loach’s Jimmy’s Hall), and has adapted and directed Dorothy Parker’s story “You Were Perfectly Fine” for the screen. He lives in Glasgow with his wife and daughter.
Praise for MONTPELIER PARADE
“[An] accomplished debut. . . . The novel is narrated entirely in
the second person, a stylistic choice that produces moments of
intense intimacy”—The New Yorker
“Geary enters the literary arena with a bang: this debut about an
unconventional love affair between a teenage boy and an older woman
is unassuming but gorgeously rendered”—Publishers Weekly,starred
and boxed review
“A relentlessly downbeat but often poignant novel about flawed and
despairing lovers testing—and transgressing—border walls of various
kinds”—Kirkus Reviews
“Fast paced and highly engrossing, Geary’s debut perfectly balances
dreary romance with sharp teen angst”—Booklist
“One of the most quietly devastating Irish novels in recent
memory”—Literary Hub, ""Literary Hub's Favorite Books of 2017""
“Montpelier Parade . . . presents us with the fraught experience of
first love, told in beautifully doleful prose that sometimes
exhibits Salinger–esque sparseness”—Zyzzyva
“Luminous and moving. A story that asks who you can love and how,
and a novel that gets to the heart of things; it certainly got to
the heart of me”—Sunjeev Sahota, Man Booker Prize shortlisted
author of The Year of the Runaways
"A groundbreaking debut. Montpelier Parade is a taut, riveting,
beautifully sparse coming of age tale from a fearless new talent.""
— Téa Obreht, National Book Award Finalist & New York Times
bestselling author of The Tiger's Wife
“Few novelist debut with a masterpiece, but Geary has done just
that. Stunning”—Daily Mail
“Pitch–perfect”—The Guardian
“Geary is the latest player in a recent resurgence of Irish
literary talent, which also includes Jess Kidd (Himself) and Lisa
McInerney (The Glorious Heresies). In Montpelier Parade, he
delivers an unforgettable love story in writing that is often
exceptional . . . Geary captures time and place startlingly well .
. . Montpelier Parade is reminiscent of Barry Hines’ novel A
Kestrel for a Knave — that 1960s classic of social realism — in its
depiction of a youngster trapped by deprivation. But what is
Geary’s, and Geary’s alone, is the desperately moving romantic
entanglement at its heart”— Financial Times (UK)
“Geary — who has previously worked as an actor and scriptwriter —
is a genuine talent. The sense of intimacy created by the
second–person narrative is brilliantly sustained and the dialogue
throughout is pitch perfect, seeming almost audibly to slice the
always pregnant, often suffocatingly toxic atmosphere”—Daily Mail
(UK)
“Geary's acute observations perfectly capture the essence of
boyhood bewilderment and bravado . . . This is an unusually vivid
novel that presents life how it is, rather than how Hollywood
scriptwriters might like it to be”—Press Association (UK)
“Intensely powerful”—Sunday Mirror (UK)
“A class act, Montpelier Parade is an assured and moving debut from
a writer confident in his voice and his unusual approach to
storytelling”—Sunday Business Post (UK)
“A bittersweet love story. . . . Geary’s depiction of his home town
is so visceral you can almost feel the dreich air seeping into your
bones as you read. . . . Geary’s acute observations perfectly
capture the essence of boyhood bewilderment and bravado. . . . An
unusually vivid novel that present life how it is”—The Herald
(UK)
“Luminous ... brilliantly paced, full of tension and
tenderness”—Irish Times
“The work of a deft, fearless writer ... evoking the subtly dark
comedy of Patrick McCabe, and the delicious lyricism of Peter
Murphy, Geary has a keen recollection of the folly and hunger of
youth. Add in a gut–spinning plot twist, and it's safe to describe
Montpelier Parade as one of the first significant releases of
2017”—Irish Independent
“A class act...Montpelier Parade is an assured and moving debut
from a writer confident in his voice and his unusual approach to
storytelling”— Sunday Business Post (Ireland)
“Beautiful and tender ... a wonderful read whose tender story will
stay with you long after turning the last page”— RTE (Ireland
Public Radio)
“Captivating ... a luminous, moving story that is full of
heart”—Image Magazine
“I adored this unconventional love story. It’s tender, with
luminous language, and should catapult the author to literary
fame”—Irish Examiner
“Intensely powerful”—Irish Sunday Mirror
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