Book Review
The Amusements: Convincing and bleakly funny slices of life in seaside Tramore
Aingeala Flannery’s debut novel, set in the faded former Victorian holiday resort in Co Waterford, follows the lives of its residents, some of whom may appear briefly, but all of whom leave an impression
For her debut novel, Aingeala Flannery hasn’t deviated hugely from the blueprint that saw her win the Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Competition and the Bath Short Story Award. The Amusements isn’t exactly a novel in the standard sense, more a set of interlinked stories. Its characters weave in and out of each other’s tales, much like Elizabeth Strout’s fictional creations or those from Anne Tyler’s recent novel French Braid.
Instead of inventing a setting, however, ...
