COLM HERRON

***** 5 of 5 stars:

 

 

"Herron's black humour leaves no stone unturned."
-Oliver Redfern

 

 

"In an age when everything, even reading nowadays, is moving at a fast pace, sometimes it's nice to just curl up in front of the fire with a good old fashioned paperback and savour the beauty of the written word. There are no vampires, witches or werewolves in this story. Instead it is a wonderfully intelligent, witty and charming read that will leave you wanting more long after you've reached the final page." -Sharon Pereira

 

 

"It's like a stage drama enacted in a cramped Irish kitchen."
-Emmet Smyth

 

 

"Colm Herron is a master at the craft of writing, taking even the most typically morose topic – a wake – and transforming it into a delightful platform, full of wit and humor. How does he do it?" -Pamela Young

 

 

"... Northern Ireland remains in a state of controversy and confusion. Premarital sex is bad, Catholic priests deserve reverence under any circumstances, drinking to excess is acceptable–sometimes, depending on who you ask–and bloodshed is welcome as long as God is the reason. Oh, and let’s not forget that homosexuality is for heathens. So what is Jeremiah to do? He may be outwardly polite and slow to anger, but his debilitating obsession is Aisling, his bisexual on-again, off-again girlfriend. He’d follow her to hell if he has to (and he almost does), and along the way he pours a wee bit of whiskey, has a few laughs, begrudgingly tolerates Audrey, Aisling’s lesbian lover, and then Frances’s know-it-all ways and massive derriere, all for pleasure he considers the closest thing to heaven." -Alicia Britton

 

 

"This is a great book that provides the reader with the flavor of the times and the true feelings of the community."
-Susanne Leist, author of The Dead Game 

 

 

"Love, politics and the harsh realities of conflict are served up in a way that not only highlights the fragility of the human condition but takes the reader into a world few of us would otherwise see." -Simon Shinerock

 

 

"A beautiful, funny and affecting novel." -Bridget Penrose

 

 

"A gentle, mostly tolerant, occasionally wry humour pervades Colm Herron’s ‘The Wake’ which allows the reader to chuckle frequently without feeling malicious. This skilled balancing act between directing our attention to events and attitudes that really do require some condemnation and detailing the impact on its victims is pulled off so beautifully that the reader clearly understands that criticism is meant but does not feel the cringe that a blatant didactic attack would generate. The characters in this highly entertaining literary work are variously charming, ridiculous, reprehensible, pitiable and hilarious. If you are in the mood for an intriguing peek into the darkly comical lives of a small Irish community in Derry, then you could not do better than read ‘The Wake’."

-Joy Reid

 

 

"What McLiam Wilson does for Belfast, its landscape, its sense of humour, Herron does for Derry, Northern Ireland's second city." -Jack Carolan

 

 

"A fascinating and highly entertaining book which transports the reader back to an almost forgotten N. Ireland whose people are suffocated by the influence/power of church and state; protocol; petty jealousy's; bigotry and poverty. Yet the author is able to knit this together with a viciously funny narrative which also encapsulates that very Irish trait that sets us apart - the ability to laugh at ourselves." -Alan Quigley 

 

 

"I have no problem giving this book five bold, bright, brilliant shining stars. My highest recommendation." -Christopher Meeker