Old God's Time. Sebastian Barry

The Time of the Old God is a novel by Irish author Sebastian Barrie, longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize and highly praised by critics for its depth and emotional power.

Tom Kettle is a retired policeman who has settled in the coastal town of Dalkey, south of Dublin. He lives in an annex to an old castle, trying to find peace after many losses: his wife June and two children, Winnie and Joe, have already died. Tom leads a measured and solitary life, until one evening his former police colleagues approach him with a request to help investigate an old case. Tom is confronted with past events that he has tried to forget. The case he investigated in the 1960s involves Catholic priests suspected of sexual crimes. This investigation will force Tom to confront his own traumas and memories of his childhood in an orphanage.

Sebastian Barry's writing style is poetic and lyrical, his narrative style is leisurely, and the combination of realism with elements of mysticism creates an atmosphere of tension and mystery. Tom Kettle's memories intertwine with the stream of consciousness, revealing the hero's inner world frankly, harshly and bewitchingly, exposing his most secret experiences.