We Were Young

Reviews

Campbell writes beautiful sentences with breath-taking imagery She appears to digest the world in layers, receiving not only what is there, but what once was, and whatever memory or thought it sparks anew What sets We Were Young apart, aside from the calibre of her writing is the point of view. Where most accounts of lopsided relationships with arty age gaps are told, as they are written, by women, this time Campbell has boldly handed the microphone to a man An immensely talented writer A beguiling, remarkable work of art. It renders exquisitely the melancholy of living in an always changing Dublin, and of family sorrow which is always threatening to break through the surface of its silence. It feels like an instant classic of Irish literature WE WERE YOUNG is a truly exceptional novel, by an exceptional writer WE WERE YOUNG captures an Ireland I've never before seen in print, namely the erotic and artistic lives of a generation displaced.
It is a stunning book that cracked me open more than once. Campbell's sentences are nothing short of magnificent. This is trenchant, lucid writing. Niamh Campbell's novel is somehow both sharp and forgiving, steely and warm.
With WE WERE YOUNG, Campbell takes up her place as one of the finest Irish stylists of her generation Though its short, and deceptively simple, we are treated to a portrait of an entire life . . . Beguiling . . . with astounding intimacy . . . Effortless . . . There is joy and playfulness here, and the novel is also laugh-out-loud funny in places . . . We become intimate with Cormac's circle because they feel so real . . . A breathtakingly accomplished novel that really gets at the soul of a person There is so much to love in this deeply intelligent, insightful book . . . One of the best achievements here is conveying that maddening sense one gets at times on the border of intimacy, unable to break through . . . We Were Young is an immensely enjoyable novel, and a great validation of Campbell's uncanny emotional insight Beguiling and funny . . . such a pleasurable story Campbell's new novel confirms what an outstanding writer she is . . . What makes the novel so endlessly rich is how patiently and sensitively Campbell evokes a complex depth of feeling and sedimented experience . . . She writes with a deliciously refined sense of irony without ever torpedoing the book's emotional sincerity. Superb Expand reviews