In the seventh episode of The Irish Books Podcast, host Chris Murray and guest Kevin Foster (Associate Professor in Literary Studies, Monash University) delve into the haunting and hallucinatory world of Sebastian Barry’s 2023 novel, Old God’s Time. Longlisted for the Booker Prize, the novel is a sophisticated excavation of past traumas that refuses to follow the predictable path of a standard cold-case investigation.
A Cold Case Reawakened
The narrative centers on Tom Kettle, a retired Garda detective living in a small seaside flat near Dalkey. His quiet existence is shattered when two former colleagues, Wilson and O’Casey, visit him to discuss a cold case involving the historic murder of a priest, Father Matthews.
The Cracked Lens of Memory: Tom’s mind is a cracked lens; he suffers from hallucinations, including the appearance of unicorns, and a conscious suppression of memory that makes the truth difficult to grasp
The Dethroning of the Church: The reinvestigation is made possible because the historical collusion between the Irish State and the Catholic Church has finally been broken, allowing for an accounting of crimes that were once "taken out of the hands" of the police
A Purgatorial Setting: Tom has lived in his flat for nine months - a symbolic "pregnancy time span"- yet he remains surrounded by unpacked boxes, existing in a purgatorial space between mental acuity and decline
Trauma and the Irresistible Past
The novel explores the unimaginable loss Tom has suffered. Both Tom and his late wife, June, were survivors of horrific institutional abuse - Tom at the hands of the Christian Brothers and June by nuns.
A Haven Under Siege: Tom and June shared a pact to create a family haven to protect their children from the trauma of their own pasts
The Return of the Repressed: Despite their efforts, the past proves "irresistible". The family is laid waste: June dies by self-immolation, their daughter Winnie dies of a heroin overdose, and their son Joe is shot
The Murder at the Heart: The experts discuss the ambiguity surrounding Father Matthews' death. While Tom describes June killing the priest who abused her, the narrative suggests Tom may have been possessed by her rage, committing the act himself
The Orphean Ending
In a surreal final sequence, Tom engages in a "fantasy of fulfilled protection," using a sniper rifle to intervene in a local kidnapping - an echo of his violent past as a soldier in the British Army in Malaya.
A Journey Through Hades: The discussion frames the novel as a "journey through Tom's Hades"
The Final Haunting: The book concludes with a poignant, Orphean image: June appearing in Tom's room. Tom is afraid to touch her, fearing she will evaporate like Eurydice, leaving the reader to wonder if Tom has finally "died and gone to heaven" or is simply lost in a final haunting
Listen to the Full Discussion
Despite its heavy themes, Old God's Time is noted for its "jauntiness" and Tom’s ability to blunder on with remarkable equanimity. Join Chris and Kevin as they navigate this "mastery of the art" of storytelling and celebrate the resilience of the human spirit
Listen to Episode 7: Sebastian Barry’s Old God’s Time wherever you get your podcasts.
The Irish Books Podcast is proudly produced by East Coast Studio with support from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Embassy of Ireland Australia, and Monash University.
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