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Michael Magee is the fiction editor of The Tangerine and a graduate of the PhD Creative Writing programme at Queen's University, Belfast. His writing has appeared in Winter Papers, The Stinging Fly, The Lifeboat and in The 32- An Anthology of Working Class Writing. Close to Home is his first novel.
How beautifully Magee has brought his characters to life, and
how intricately he has created their world * Irish Independent
(Kevin Power) *
A complex and compassionate portrait of modern Belfast by an
impressive new talent . . . Close to Home is very much a
working class novel, but it is many other things too: an Irish
novel, a bildungsroman, a novel about the self-congratulatory
failures of Northern Ireland's political elite . . .[A] sharp
deconstruction of toxic masculinity * Times Literary Supplement
*
A convincing, nuanced debut, bleak but powerful . . .
Marrying the thematic unsentimentality of the French author Edouard
Louis with prose reminiscent of Irvine Welsh . . . Magee is
particularly strong at evoking the double bind of working class
achievement * Sunday Independent *
Lucid and stirring . . . Magee's persistently evocative and
beautifully matter-of-fact descriptions of Belfast's landmarks and
people are intertwined with a sensitive awareness of the city's
social, political and religious history * Literary Review *
An exceptional debut destined for novel of the year
shortlists * Martin Doyle, Irish Times *
Magee skilfully paints the landscape of a city still scarred by
the Troubles . . . The book's themes - masculinity, class and
history - don't offer easy resolutions. Instead, Magee deftly
conveys the anxieties of a generation facing an uncertain
future * Irish Times (Mia Levitin) *
A lyrical examination of masculinity, class, and poverty.
Magee's prose sings with the tenderness of a writer beyond his
years * Electric Literature *
Taut and impressive, unfaltering and deftly executed . . . a
genuinely necessary book * Guardian *
Magee is his own man in his restrained approach . . . I took
Sean to my heart and the last line of the book left me with a
satsifying shiver * The Times (John Self) *
The best debut I've read in years - a tender examination of
class, masculinity and place -- Nicole Flattery, author of
'Show Them A Good Time'
A vision of a post-conflict Belfast that didn't deliver what it
promised, blighted by poverty, pain and memory. But far from being
bleak, I laughed out loud many times. And it is full of love.
Each character is so vividly drawn that I felt like I had met them
somewhere before; even the most flawed of them is treated with
dignity and respect, and an absence of judgement that reminded me
of Annie Ernaux. And the writing! Supple, rich and demotic -
Kneecap meets Chekhov - no one else is doing this. I had great
hopes for this novel and Michael Magee has booted it out of the
park. Absolutely glorious. -- Louise Kennedy, author of
'Trespasses'
Beautifully observed and sharp as a knife tip - as real and
as raw as the truths you tell on a comedown, in the early hours, in
the darkness of some stranger's house. Deeply affecting and badly
needed, this is a novel I will be thinking about for a long
time -- Lisa McInerney, author of 'The Glorious Heresies'
Exceptional . . . Every detail rings true, every character is
fleshy and real and heartbreaking . . . Magee has a remarkable
talent * Sunday Times (Laura Hackett) *
Wonderful. A debut overflowing with years of experience and
carefully worked craft. By turns hard-edged and soft-hearted, this
novel is a gift from Michael Magee to us all -- Jon McGregor,
author of 'Reservoir 13'
Michael Magee's first novel is superb. An emotionally true,
keenly observed book that goes deep into the troubled territory of
home, family and friendship, returning with a message of love
-- David Hayden, author of 'Darker With The Lights On'
As beautiful as it is brilliant. Reading Close to Home is
like crossing a frontier into a new and thrilling territory --
Glenn Patterson, author of 'The International'
Close To Home announces an exciting new voice - at once open and
wary, tender and unyielding - and sharply alive to the pains and
discoveries and mysteries of youth -- Colin Barrett, author of
'Young Skins'
Ringing out clear and true as a bell, it gleams with tenderness
and perception. There are few narrators so unassuming and
unaffected, yet so full of sharp intelligence -- Wendy Erskine,
author of 'Dance Move'
Close to Home does for Belfast what Shuggie Bain did for
Glasgow. Its portrayal of a particular kind of masculinity -
self-destructive and romantic by turns - is unsparing, funny and
desperately sad. Keep an eye on Michael Magee; he's the real
deal. -- Patrick Gale, author of 'A Place Called Winter'
A sharp and humane novel about a young man, and a city, caught
in the painful throes of reimagining themselves. It rings with
authenticity, and the wisdom of hard-won observation and
experience - a hymn to the ways in which art can be a lifeline and
an escape. Michael Magee's debut is an important addition to the
burgeoning new canon of Belfast literature -- Lucy Caldwell, author
of 'These Days'
Compulsively readable - you will need to know how this ends!
-- Emilie Pine, author of 'Notes to Self'
Precise, compulsive, companionable and genuinely moving.
Michael Magee writes a world we see far too little of in
contemporary literature. We need books like this -- Sean
Hewitt, author of 'All Down Darkness Wide'
Sharp, immediate, beautiful writing. A vivid portrait of
modern Belfast and of how our circumstances shape our lives. Every
character is drawn with nuance and complexity, with great precision
and attention to detail. I really loved this book -- Rachel
Connolly, author of 'Lazy City'
Artfully crafted, compassionate, precise and unafraid. I loved
this book -- Susannah Dickey, author of 'Common Decency'
Close to Home tracks brilliantly written characters
across a vividly drawn Belfast * The Business Post *
Though the voice is decidedly Irish, the message of Michael
Magee's dead-on debut novel is universal. At its core, Close
to Home is about finding a way to transcend the pain, the
people and the place you're born into * The New York Times *
Unflinching, direct, disarmingly sensitive . . .
Suffusing his narrative with honesty and grace, Magee
succeeds in bringing his neighborhood to life for readers and
suggests that, amid what seems like a never-ending struggle,
there is always room for hope * The Washington Post *
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