Blank Pages

A Library Journal Best Book of 2022 in Short Stories "A deft and life-affirming collection by a master of the form.”—Sarah Gilmartin, Irish Times A collection of twelve powerful and moving new stories from one of Ireland’s most celebrated writers.

"Deceptively simple stories by a master of the form perfectly capture moments of reckoning and reflection, in life and in art."

"MacLaverty writes with such compassion that his stories never feel bleak; they feel humane.… The continuous encounters with such exquisite impressions immerse you in each narrative, leaving you vulnerable to its emotional punch."

"Reading MacLaverty, we inhabit the characters’ lives from the inside out, arriving at an exquisitely intimate sense of common humanity as we share the everyday mysteries they inhabit."

"[MacLaverty’s] care and deliberation show.… He is a matchless observer of human details."

"MacLaverty’s Ireland isn’t a cloying caricature of lush meadows and magic. Rather, it is a place of raw beauty, unforgiving weather, and inexplicable violence, sadness and joy, where laughter, prayer and often alcohol help drown out an unrelenting descant of despair."

"[In Blank Pages] we find moments of routine interrupted, examples of the fragility of peace and perfectly sculpted vignettes of drama that are no less powerful for their quietness.… MacLaverty’s real skill lies in creating atmosphere, in presenting images that last in the mind.… These are stories that must be listened to carefully to catch their deafening boom."

"Bernard MacLaverty is a master of the [atmospheric short] story.… By that I mean I can’t think of anyone who does it better.… By shedding a sympathetic light on difficult moments in people’s lives, he enriches our experience of each other."

"MacLaverty brings humor, sympathy, and an unshowy eloquence to the conventional short story.… A fine collection by a true craftsman, thematically rich and deeply humane."

"The 12 stories that make up MacLaverty’s [latest] collection emphasize his mastery of image, characterization, and dialogue. He remains one of the most graceful storytellers in modern literature."

"MacLaverty’s tales come across as deceptively light at first, but they leave a lasting impression."

"Bernard MacLaverty's stories read like gentle tales about people who care for each other—he is brilliant at familiarity, long love and the domestic round—but his real subject is bigotry, the wider hatreds and beliefs that keep our lives small and this theme keeps his work relevant for the ages. He is a master of the short-story form."

"Bernard MacLaverty approaches his characters with sympathy and a sharpened sense of the inner life. The stories in Blank Pages approach aging, art, memory, and regret with luminous precision and grace. MacLaverty works with meticulous care, like a portrait painter."

"These stories are filled with quiet, graceful beauty. They are the stuff of everything, both local and universal at the same time. MacLaverty is one of our great writers—he finds us at our moments of loss."

"Bernard MacLaverty locates the precise point where life bleeds into art, and art into life. Even in the briefest of his stories his themes emerge slowly, unforced, as if pondering themselves; like the best writers through the ages, he is confident and questioning, engaged and wise."

"Striking.… This fine collection reaffirms MacLaverty’s place among the greatest short story writers of his generation."

Bernard MacLaverty is the author of five previous collections of stories and five novels, including Grace Notes, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and Midwinter Break, shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award. Born in Ireland, he now lives in Glasgow, Scotland.