This book of five novellas forms part two of a series set in west Cork, following Kestell's previous collection The Mad Marys of Dunworley. The author, a Dubliner, spent time in the village of Courtmacsherry, and much of the work is infused with a strong sense of the locality. The title story throws us into the world of a young boy, son of a single mother, who gets more than he bargained for when he asks his grandad to tell him about the closure of the West Cork Railway in 1961. Through his artless, fresh observations we enter a conversation on youth versus age, cynicism versus idealism and social conscience – the surprise being that the cynics are the younger generation. Other stories are more hit and miss; this may be down to the self-publishing route, which has left the work in need of a good edit.
