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Winner of the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award Winner of the Guardian First Book Award Winner of the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature A stunning introduction to a singular new voice in contemporary fiction. Enter the small, rural town of Glanbeigh, a place whose fate took a downturn with the Celtic Tiger, a desolate spot where buffoonery and tension simmer and erupt, and booze-sodden boredom fills the corners of every pub and nightclub. Here, and in the towns beyond, the young live hard and wear the scars. Amongst them, there�s jilted Jimmy, whose best friend Tug is the terror of the town and Jimmy�s sole company in his search for the missing Clancy kid; Bat, a lovesick soul with a face like �a bowl of mashed up spuds� even before Nubbin Tansey�s boot kicked it in; and Arm, a young and desperate criminal whose destiny is shaped when he and his partner, Dympna, fail to carry out a job. In each story, a local voice delineates the grittiness of post boom Irish society. These are unforgettable characters rendered through silence, humor, and violence. Told in Barrett�s vibrant, distinctive prose, Young Skins is an accomplished and irreverent debut from a brilliant writer. (less)

Winner of the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award Winner of the Guardian First Book Award Winner of the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature A stunning introduction to a singular new voice in contemporary fiction. Enter the (…more)