2023 Booker Longlist – Old God’s Time by Sebastian Barry

It’s Booker season and our panel has begun our review of all the longlist books. Over the next month, we will be reviewing each of the 13 nominees. First up for our panel is Sebastian Barry’s Old God’s Time. Barry’s novels have been nominated several times for the Booker prize. A Long Long Way and The Secret Scripture were both shortlisted for the Booker, two others were nominated for the longlist, and he has won numerous other literary prizes. 

The Booker panel describes Barry’s latest book as a “beautiful, haunting novel, in which nothing is quite what it seems, Sebastian Barry explores what we live through, what we live with, and what may survive of us.” Keep reading to see how our panel rated the book.

Book Worm, Jen, Nicole, Tracy, and Lisa reviewed this book.

Synopsis taken from Booker Prize website: Recently retired policeman Tom Kettle is settling into the quiet of his new home, a lean-to annexed to a Victorian Castle overlooking the Irish Sea. For months he has barely seen a soul, catching only glimpses of his eccentric landlord and a nervous young mother who has moved in next door.

Occasionally, fond memories of the past return – of his family, his beloved wife June and their two children. But when two former colleagues turn up at his door with questions about a decades-old case, one which Tom never quite came to terms with, he finds himself pulled into the darkest currents of his past.

You can purchase a copy of Old God’s Time here.

Our Reviews

BookWorm’s Thoughts:  Well this one is bleak enough for booker.  I can’t say that reading it was an enjoyable experience. It is a dark book and it showcases the worst of human behaviour.

The story telling is interesting as we hear everything from the POV of retired cop Tom Kettle. Tom’s memory moves backwards and forwards in time giving the reader a little more insight into what has occurred in the past and what has lead to his solitary lifestyle. At the same time as reliving them Tom is also questioning his memories so the reader is kept slightly off guard not quite knowing what is real or not.

Writing quality: 3/5
Originality: 3/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot development: 4/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Total: 14/20

Jen’s Thoughts: I really enjoyed reading this book, in part because there were elements that I really appreciated as a psychologist. It’s a slow, simmering, and often dreamlike read and while it did take me a while to connect to the book, once I did, I was hooked. To clarify, the content isn’t exactly enjoyable since it centers around challenging subject matter but the writing was brilliant. I’ve read many books that have tackled similar subject matter but the way in which this book captures how trauma and memories are intertwined, is quite clever. Although written in third person narrative, the prose borders on stream of consciousness and as a reader you never quite know what is reality versus what is memory distorted by time and trauma history. The true genius of this book is how well the author is able to make you feel confused, foggy, and perpetually wondering what is real. In my opinion, this novel truly merits a spot on the longlist and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it make the shortlist.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot development: 4/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Total: 17/20

Nicole’s Thoughts: This was tough. It started strong – got bogged down in the middle and I was about to give up but kept going. Was mostly lost through the rest of the book. In a sense, I guess that’s what the book was about … being lost in grief, memory, time …. Unfortunately, for me, it was a slog.

Writing quality: 4/5
Originality: 2/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot development: 2/4
Overall enjoyment: 0/2
Total: 10/20

Tracy’s Thoughts: Sebastian Barry’s back on the Booker longlist. He’s a bit of a perennial favorite, I believe. 

Old God’s Time was a departure from his previous styles- this was a mystery/procedural based story rather than his family-saga based past books and the western-ish Days Without End. Less historical fiction this time around. 

Barry is a pro at characters, and at plot- he should be. He’s written a lot of books. This is the 3rd or 4th I’ve read by him, and it was good, but I’m not sure it’s Booker worthy. The pacing was fine, the ending was fine, everything was fine. Just not memorable. 

Writing quality: 4/5
Originality: 2/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot: 3/4
Enjoyment: 1/2
Total: 13/20

Lisa’s thoughts: Sebastian Barry is a beautiful writer, and when I slowed down and just read sentence by sentence, I can see the beauty in his writing and why he is so esteemed. AND this book is very difficult to read. The story — abuse at the hands of priests wreaks havoc on people’s lives — is not new or surprising. From the beginning of the book you can see the destruction coming; you are just not exactly sure how it will all end. So, rather than savoring the writing, I rushed through it to get it all over with. It is quite possible this says more about me than anything else.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 2/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot: 2/4
Enjoyment: 0/2
Total: 12/20

Have you read this one? Let us know what you thought.

Our Panel’s Rankings

1. Old God’s Time: 13.2