The New Policeman

A small community in the Burren, the almost mythical limestone landscape bordering the west coast of Ireland, is the setting for this contemporary fantasy. My heart sank a little as the all too familiar motifs of fey craic-smiths and Osianic trips to Tir-na-Nog emerged through the melodies of fiddle and bhodran, but after savouring a few of these short and lapidary chapters (each preceded by a transcribed snatch of traditional music), it became clear that this was a distinctive and beautifully written book. Its hero, JJ, is a young musician troubled by an old family scandal and by the desire to buy his mother time in our desperately time-starved era. After disappearing through the wall of a souterrain, his adventures in a seemingly slower world enable him to discover why we are all so hurried nowadays. He also finds out what really happens to all of those single socks that seem to vanish in the wash.

This is an enthralling tale, both whimsical and deep, told with a dry, laconic wit that does not exclude elements of sadness and strife. It is told in a suitably leisurely way, so you may need to give it time.