Published By: Picador
Pages: 272
Released On: 26/03/2026
In the stories that make up The News from Dublin Colm Tóibín delves into the days and nights of those living far from home: lives of great longing, at a great distance from past lives and past selves.
A woman in Galway hears of the death of her son in the First World War. An Irishman seeks anonymity in Barcelona, haunted by crimes he has committed. A man goes to Dublin from Enniscorthy to implore the Minister for Health for a special favour. A young woman is pregnant during the Spanish Civil War. An undocumented worker finds himself living an illegal life and must leave San Francisco, and his child, after thirty years in America. Three sisters who have been living in Argentina decide to return to Catalonia.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Picador for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
Whilst I do own a couple of Colm’s books, I’ve only recently read any, starting with A Long Winter. But I’ll definitely be picking up his others soon.
I was never a short story fan, always thinking they were a bit pointless, not enough to get your teeth into and so I tended to steer clear. But I’ve recently enjoyed a number of them, and combined with Colm’s talents, it was surely a win-win.
There is no denying his talent for storytelling, especially when writing about normality. The characters are very real and familiar and sometimes a bit boring (not a negative), doing normal things. Whilst some parts are exaggerated, it is mostly real and recognisable an familiar, and he makes the everyday sound so special.
The stories don’t seem to be linked in the sense of using the same world or characters, but they do all link with family and loss and grief and longing.
Some stories I liked more than others, which is quite normal when it comes to a collection of stories. I have picked out a few standout ones below:
The Journey to Galway: This was a short but beautiful opening story set during WW1. In just a few pages he has given us an all-too-familiar story of grief, with really human characters and I could feel myself going through what they were. I would be quite happy if he made this into a full-length novel.
Summer of ’38: I liked this one but it was very different to how I felt about the first story. It’s still related to war, but this gives us a look at a view we might not have considered during wartime.
Barton Springs: This one was particularly short. It is full of intrigue and mysterious characters and I’d have liked a bit more. I’m all for a bit of ambiguity but I wanted a little more meat to it.
A Sum of Money: I really enjoyed this one and I wish it had been a little longer, or that Colm expanded it into a longer standalone story. It felt a bit different to the others, there was almost a thrillery mystery vibe to it. There’s secrets and lies at every corner and I was really invested.
A Free Man: This one was interesting. It could have been quite unsavoury – and there are unsavoury elements – but for me, it is mostly about redemption, second changes, about humanity and accepting help.
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