Paul Murray

One forgets quite how painful pain is, how literal and unironic. He stands there sobbing, the water drilling into his flesh, the agony shrill in his ear like an alarm. His mind, however, suspended above the scene, is suddenly crystal-clear.

But in life, he discovered, parenthood was like – it was – living with a person. A new person, with strong opinions, strong tastes, arbitrary swings of emotion, all of them addressed at you. You were the passive one: the work of care was primarily to endure, to weather the endless, buffeting storms of unmediated will.

Downstairs, Mam’s purse i

her excited about the wedding What’ll you wear Rose? she’d say We’ll have to go into town one of these days and look at dresses But Rose would only humph and turn her back Just as she did now And Imelda felt herself get angry She wanted to hear her talk about it She wanted to hear her say the words Bride Church Ring Wedding She wanted to know Rose believed it so she could believe it too Seriously she said You’ll tell everyone else’s but not ours?

You could just tell us th

Words Each of them Maurice Dolly the best man Dickie hims