Night Boat To Tangier

NIGHT BOAT TO TANGIER

by Kevin Barry

 

Nominations: Booker Longlist 2019, NY Times Finalist 2019

 

Date Read: October 3, 2023

 

Two men are waiting in a ferry terminal, looking for Maurice’s daughter named Dilly. As they recount their exploits and harass fellow travelers, readers get a glimpse into these characters’ history of drug dealing and violence, loves and losses and hopes for their future. 

 

Maurice and Charles have just about seen it all and at the ripe age of 50, have almost lived past the useful life of an Irish gangster. They have been tipped off that Dilly may be traveling through the terminal at Algeciras on her way to Tangiers and they hope to intercept her.

 

At one time, Maurice and Charles were wealthy, high-rollers having made a small fortune importing hash from Morocco. As they sit in present time, however, they have just about lost it all, including some of their modest investments. Their lives have been intertwined for decades and they speak in the shorthand of lives lived in tandem, struggles shouldered together and the perspective that only age can provide.

 

Barry particularly shines her in the dialogue between these main characters which, in my opinion, outshines the overarching narrative. I am excited to read Beatlebone and City of Bohane.

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