Most of these stories keep close to home: Dublin, County Meath and the families living there. Colm Tóibín chooses sixteen of Mary Lavin's stories and introduces them for new readers.
Readical Key Points
- Sixteen stories by Mary Lavin, chosen by Colm Tóibín, with his introduction
- Starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly
- Named one of The New Yorker's best books of 2026 so far, according to the publisher
- Paperback, 416 pages, Scribner, 2026; Lavin's first collection appeared in 1942
Tóibín's introduction places most of them in the 1940s and 1950s. They follow parents and their adult children, married couples, and women who are friends, often at the point where a family's expectations press hardest on one person. Marriage, family tension and the social mores of mid-century Ireland shape what her characters can say out loud. Lavin's prose is plain and exact, and the humor sits right beside the sorrow.
Lavin published often in The New Yorker from the 1940s through the 1960s, yet much of her work had fallen out of print before this selection, according to the publisher. It suits readers of the Irish short story, readers of Tóibín's own fiction, and anyone drawn to quiet domestic drama. Tóibín's selection brings a mid-century New Yorker regular back to American shelves.
About the Author
Mary Lavin (1912–1996) was born in Massachusetts and raised in Ireland. Tales from Bective Bridge (1942), her first story collection, won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize; she also received a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Katherine Mansfield Prize, and served as president of Irish PEN. Her novels include The House in Clewe Street.
Condition: Brand New and Readical Ready.
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