BeatleboneKEVIN BARRY
In 1967 the island of Dorinish, off the coast of County Mayo, was bought for John Lennon at a cost of £1,550. He visited the island twice, and after his death Yoko Ono sold the island and donated the proceeds to an orphanage. Kevin Barry’s second novel, the follow-up to the prize-winning City of Bohane, imagines Lennon seeking creative inspiration by visiting his island. He enlists the help of an Irish guide, Cornelius O’Grady, and their roundabout journey involves encounters with, among others, people engaged in primal scream therapy, a 112-year-old woman and a talking seal.When the real-life Lennon acquired Dorinish, his main residence was in Weybridge, but Barry is drawn to more unpredictable and elemental terrain. In Mayo, the emotions of the c
07 January 2016, The Tablet
Magical mystery tour
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