His wry descriptions of motels, diners, truckstops and the eccentrics who inhabit them evoke Steinbeck in his hard-travelling days. A great form for his quirky prose, hypnotic rhythms and indifference to the exigencies of plot. A lagahoo is a Trinidadian werewolf, and the fully realized main character here believes he is becoming one. Maharaj's second novel is an insight into the culture of the recent immigrant. It is dense and rich, a very, very fine novel, wonderful reading for women and men who've known a few lagahoos in their time.
Coincidence plays an almost supernatural role.
Yet Bush deploys this highly literary strategy in the service of humanism. An ambitious, satisfying novel by a shrewd and satirical observer. Brady's sixth novel featuring Inspector Matt Minogue of the Dublin murder squad is his best. Melodic, densely plotted, taking us from the Stone Age to New Age. Brady has a great eye for detail, and a lovely slow pace of storytelling.