num_pages: 240
description: One of the preeminent Irish writers of our time, John McGahern has captivated readers with such poignant and heart-wrenching novels as Amongst Women and The Dark . Moving between tragedy and savage comedy, desperation and joy, McGahernÂ's first novel, The Barracks , is one of haunting power. Elizabeth Reegan, after years of freedomÂ—and lonelinessÂ—marries into the enclosed Irish village of her upbringing. The children are not her own; her husband is straining to break free from the servile security of the police force; and her own life, threatened by illness, seems to be losing the last vestiges of its purpose.
language: English
title: The Barracks
titlecomplete: The Barracks
characters: Superintendent John James Quirke, Sergeant Reegan, Ned Casey, Jim Brennan, Elizabeth Reegan, William Reegan, Sheila Reegan, John Mullins, Úna Reegan
genres: Fiction, 20th Century, Ireland, Modern Classics, Irish Literature, Literary Fiction, Adult Fiction, Literature, Novels
ratings_count: 650
places: Ireland
publisher: Penguin Group USA