Carn
by Patrick McCabe
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A native son returns to Ireland from America to open a meat-processing plant, raising hopes of prosperity for all. But an economic slump, accompanied by renewed sectarian fighting causes the plant to close. A signal for more native sons to leave for America. By the author of Butcher Boy.Tags
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Carn is an Irish town ½ mile from the border with the north. McCabe shows the boom and bust history of Carn through the lives of several residents. The town grows over the years to become a bustling commercial center as it transitions from a railroad to one anchored by a meat processing plant (Carn – carne). When The Troubles come in the 1970s Carn is not left untouched and for many that period leads to a downfall.
The novel, and the town itself, embody some of McCabe’s favorite themes: Sexual abuse, insanity and loss of tradition. “On it goes and not a thing we can do about it.”
The novel, and the town itself, embody some of McCabe’s favorite themes: Sexual abuse, insanity and loss of tradition. “On it goes and not a thing we can do about it.”
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18+ Works 4,158 Members
Patrick McCabe has been twice short-listed for the prestigious Booker Prize in Great Britain. He is considered one of Ireland's major new writers. McCabe was teaching learning-disabled students in a grammar school in London when his third novel, "The Butcher Boy," was published in 1992. The novel is a coming-of-age story written in the voice of show more its young narrator. The small town that Francie Brady lives in is modeled on the town where McCabe grew up. "The Butcher Boy" was an immediate success, and was nominated for the Booker Prize. It won the top literary prize in Ireland, the Aer Lingus Prize. McCabe's fifth novel, "Breakfast on Pluto," was published in 1998. It too was on the shortlist for the Booker Prize. He has also written several plays, including an adaptation of "The Butcher Boy." Patrick McCabe was born in 1955 in Ireland and was educated at St. Patrick's College in Dublin. He is married to Margot Quinn and has two daughters, Ellen and Katy. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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