Way Out West by Anthony Glavin
Fintan Doherty’s 1950s childhood in Glenbay, Donegal, is filled with two things: tales of America told by a plethora of ‘returned Yanks’ and the silent sadness after his mother’s death.
Soon as he can, Fintan leaves for the States – via Europe – and never stands still again. His journey way out west to Ohio, Texas, California and back up to Boston brings to him an eclectic and diverse array of jobs, rented rooms, landscapes, acquaintances, friends and lovers, each one either confirming or confounding his idea of the land he now inhabits. His life as a new and nomadic emigrant – a self ‘missing in motion’ – is underscored by his search for a painting of his mother by an American artist, who once visited the home place long before Fintan was born.
Fintan’s vision of America as a place of fantasy, escape and adventure is as old as the hills. But Anthony Glavin’s gentle coming-of-age story will enthral with its texture and world-building, the many delicately and affectionately observed characters, and its subtle reflections on trauma, loss and a hope that somehow renews.
Fintan Doherty’s 1950s childhood in Glenbay, Donegal, is filled with two things: tales of America told by a plethora of ‘returned Yanks’ and the silent sadness after his mother’s death.
Soon as he can, Fintan leaves for the States – via Europe – and never stands still again. His journey way out west to Ohio, Texas, California and back up to Boston brings to him an eclectic and diverse array of jobs, rented rooms, landscapes, acquaintances, friends and lovers, each one either confirming or confounding his idea of the land he now inhabits. His life as a new and nomadic emigrant – a self ‘missing in motion’ – is underscored by his search for a painting of his mother by an American artist, who once visited the home place long before Fintan was born.
Fintan’s vision of America as a place of fantasy, escape and adventure is as old as the hills. But Anthony Glavin’s gentle coming-of-age story will enthral with its texture and world-building, the many delicately and affectionately observed characters, and its subtle reflections on trauma, loss and a hope that somehow renews.
Fintan Doherty’s 1950s childhood in Glenbay, Donegal, is filled with two things: tales of America told by a plethora of ‘returned Yanks’ and the silent sadness after his mother’s death.
Soon as he can, Fintan leaves for the States – via Europe – and never stands still again. His journey way out west to Ohio, Texas, California and back up to Boston brings to him an eclectic and diverse array of jobs, rented rooms, landscapes, acquaintances, friends and lovers, each one either confirming or confounding his idea of the land he now inhabits. His life as a new and nomadic emigrant – a self ‘missing in motion’ – is underscored by his search for a painting of his mother by an American artist, who once visited the home place long before Fintan was born.
Fintan’s vision of America as a place of fantasy, escape and adventure is as old as the hills. But Anthony Glavin’s gentle coming-of-age story will enthral with its texture and world-building, the many delicately and affectionately observed characters, and its subtle reflections on trauma, loss and a hope that somehow renews.
About the Author
Anthony Glavin is a Boston-born novelist, short-story writer and critic. He first came to Ireland in 1974, living in County Donegal for many years. In 1987, he succeeded David Marcus as editor of New Irish Writing in the Irish Press, and he has previously worked as literary editor at New Island, where he commissioned Nuala O’Faolain’s Are You Somebody? His previous books include One for Sorrow, Nighthawk Alley and Colours Other Than Blue.
Praise for Way Out West
‘Way Out West captures an intriguing odyssey by a young Irishman predestined to explore America. Superbly written, it vividly explores his homecoming to a land he previously never set foot in; a country in flux that he astutely observes, drifting through states whose placenames beguiled him in childhood.’
— Dermot Bolger
‘Anthony Glavin’s wonderful gifts as a humane and skilled storyteller are on display all through this compelling, moving and memorable novel.’
— Joseph O’Connor
‘A delight of a novel, lyrical and delicate, that captures both the freewheeling 1970s and the shadows of grief and loss in the America of that decade. Way Out West is a deeply satisfying exploration of how a young man finally inhabits his own self.’
— Catherine Dunne
Publisher: New Island Books
Date Published: 15 March 2024
Paperback, 288 pages.
ISBN: 9781848409095
