Secret Scripture (Barry)

Book Reviews
[Barry writes] in language of surpassing beauty.... It is like a song, with all the pulse of the Irish language, a song sung liltingly and plaintively from the top of Ben Bulben into the airy night.
Dinitia Smith - New York Times


Barry recounts all this in prose of often startling beauty. Just as he describes people stopping in the street to look at Roseanne, so I often found myself stopping to look at the sentences he gave her, wanting to pause and copy them down.
Margot Livesey - Boston Globe


Luminous and lyrical.
Oprah Magazine


The latest from Barry pits two contradictory narratives against each other in an attempt to solve the mystery of a 100-year-old mental patient.... Written in captivating, lyrical prose, Barry's novel is both a sparkling literary puzzle and a stark cautionary tale of corrupted power.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) [M]asterfully and with intense emotionality that nevertheless refuses to become maudlin. Another notable part of Barry’s artistry is the sheer poetry of his prose, now heart-stoppingly lyrical, now heart-poundingly thrilling. An unforgettable portrait of mid-twentieth-century Ireland. —Patricia Monaghan
Booklist


Barry writes vigorously and passionately about his native land. The story is told antiphonally, alternating narratives between a secret journal...and the "Commonplace Book" of...psychiatrist Dr. Grene.... Barry beautifully braids together the convoluted threads of his narrative
Kirkus Reviews