Stories of loneliness, sadness, alienation, mostly taking place in pandemic-era Ireland. Some bits of humor and tenderness but disturbingly sad. I listened to the audiobook read by the author.

This review made me want to read the book: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/22/books/review/roddy-doyle-life-without-chilidr...

Music and cell phones play an oddly large role in many of the stories, as does COVID and lockdowns. ( )

A man in his mid life crisis during the pandemic. I found myself not caring too much. ( )

Short stories set in the Dublin in Coronavirus times. Well written and conveying a good sense of life. A couple of stories are a little difficult to follow.

Roddy Doyle's latest short story collection is set amidst the coronavirus ongoing pandemic. Most of the stories take place in Dublin during the lockdown period, although a few are set in other Irish towns. These are, for the most part, gentle stories about people missing their friends, their family members, their normal routines, and the fears and concerns they have when forced to leave home for necessities like food, work, and medical appointments. We've all been there, so it's easy to empathize with Doyle's characters. But as things slow down, these people have the time to examine their own lives and to learn more about themselves and those around them. That's the surprising up side of life being placed on hold.

In case you're trying to avoid typical "pandemic fiction," let me assure you that only one of the stories has the anticipated tragic outcome. Instead, we see a middle-aged father relishing the fact that his daughter has returned to the family home during lockdown. A man's concerns about the pandemic push his childhood fears to the surface, encouraging him to tells his wife, after 30 years of marriage, how his mother had abandoned him after his father's death, leaving him an orphan shuttled between indifferent family members. A man sent to another town for a business trip observes the attempt of those around him to as is everything was "normal." A husband copes with the loss of his job, his inability to find employment, and his financial dependence on his wife. These are human stories, sometimes told with a bit of humor, sometimes a bit of sadness, but always relatable. I read the entire collection in just a few days. ( )