Night Boat to Tangier

I really liked the way this novel, Night Boat to Tangier, started: two aging Irish gangsters, sitting on a dock, talking to one another while they keep an eye out for a young woman named Dilly. Had this story been kept to just that for twenty or thirty pages with a nice little ending, I think I would've thoroughly enjoyed it.

Of course, Night Boat to Tangier doesn't keep it that simple. The narrative jumps back and forth between present and past to fill in all the pieces that I didn't ask to be filled in on. Perhaps all this information helps the reader to understand the relationships between these characters, but I didn't enjoy any of these recollections and I personally did not find them necessary.

For me, Night Boat to Tangier was at its best when it focused on the relationships in the present. In these moments, Barry's writing was gritty, terse, and filled with longing. All the pain that mattered to me as a reader took place in the present. Every time I got pulled away from this pain, I became a little more numb. And by the end, I was ready to move on.