IN a rare moment of normalcy, the Barnes family of The Bee Sting sits on the sunlit terrace of a local restaurant, Genevieve's, celebrating the Leaving Certificate exam results of their daughter Cassandra (Cass). She has passed, in spite of her alcoholic befuddlements and dingy trysts with strange boys in the weeks before the exams.
Soon, very soon, she will leave this small, overfamiliar town for Trinity College Dublin, with her best friend, Elaine. But for the wingspan of a moment, her father Dickie can't stop telling everyone in the vicinity about her results, and her mother Imelda "feels a kind of worn happiness like they are normal".
Happiness, however threadbare, is what the Barneses seek in their own curious ways, although they aren't aware of this pursuit. Ostensibly, each of them is looking for ways to escape immediate circumstances. Paul Murray's protagonists-Cass, her twelve-year-old brother PJ, their parents Dickie and Imelda-are unhinged by financial troubles, the ghosts of the past, a small-town's relentless gaze, precarious weather, hormones.
Denne historien er fra April 21, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
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Denne historien er fra April 21, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Caste Census: To Conquer Or Conserve?
The caste census is generating heated debate, but even its most ardent proponents are not able to articulate a plan about how to use the resulting data
THE FATEFUL COMEDY
Actor-director Rajat Kapoor talks about adapting Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov into a Hindi play
Mad Hatter
When a leader takes off his topi and holds it in his hands while appealing for votes, it signals something extraordinary
Circle Within Circles
The caste question in Muslims.
Backward March
The Maratha reservation question may continue to mire the next government in the state
The 69% Exception
Quota within quota: lessons to be learned from Tamil Nadu
United Indifference
The perils of tweaking tribal identities
Two Nations, Two Destinies
The widely differing balance of power between the military and civilian leadership in India and Pakistan has significantly impacted democracy in the two countries
Crème de la Crème
The mainstream society thinks reservations are against right to equality. It’s high time they are seen in the context of right to justice.
Fading Folks
The recent SC ruling on sub-classification within the SC and ST categories temporarily lifted the hopes of tribal communities in Jharkhand
