There aren't many novels about young working class men especially ones who are disenfranchised.

Sean thinks that he has escaped his brother, his family , his culture and his home city of Belfast by going to University. It would seem that escape is not that easy.

One incident in which he expresses his bitterness and anger changes everything. His anger is expressed in a damaging way as he lashes out physically and then deal with the consequences.

The style is organically linked to this particular culture but it took me a while to "tune in" (like in Anna Burns' The Milkman") A popular term for this book might be "gritty" which in some ways reflects the process whereby how Sean has become "invisible" and "worthless" .

Great for fans of Shuggie Bain, The Milkman and Ross Raisin's God's Own Country. An anger saga rather than an aga saga.

It’s no secret that I love books set in my beloved Belfast, and Close to Home is no exception. Thank you to @penguinukbooks and @netgalley for letting me read this early.

After assaulting a fellow partier on a night out, Sean deals with the aftermath in this moving look at post-conflict Belfast.

Sean is one of the most arresting narrators I’ve encountered in a long time; I read this in two short sittings because I couldn’t bring myself to put it down and step away. It’s a story I think will resonate with many of the millennial generation, of promises for the future that never had a hope of being fulfilled, and a desperate desire to understand your place in the world and how you can exist in it.

I found Sean’s relationship with his mother particularly moving. It is not an easy relationship, and it faces the strain of the history of the conflict and Sean’s father’s actions that hang over it. It is also a relationship built on love, where two people are trying to do the best they can for each other in the only ways they can.

Belfast is a city that is beloved to me inmany ways; it’s the city where I fell in love and had my heartbroken for the first time; where I lived alone for the first time; where I really learned how to be an adult and to be on my own. It was, though, a deeply middle-class and student oriented experience of the city, and Close to Home is a sharp reminder of how that is not the norm.

Post-conflict also feels like an oxymoron here. The Troubles may have ended and there may not be an active civil war on going but there is no shortage of conflict for Sean’s community. From ongoing interference in the community by paramilitaries, to lasting trauma as a result of the Troubles, don’t let the label of post-conflict lull you into think this book will be a hopeful or peaceful ride.

Close to Home will stay with me for a long time, and it’s definitely one to keep an eye for while you’re out and about in bookshops. There are some content warnings to be aware of, so please reach out to me if you want to know more about those.

Close to home by Michael Magee

Sean has returned home to Belfast after university in Liverpool. Jobs are hard to come by and his degree is now help. His brother Anthony is a tough man but Sean was different. Things start to change when he assaults someone at a house party.

This book is gritty and I found it hard to read in places as there seemed no escape for Sean and those around him. This was the point though so the author did his job well. Hard to believe this is a debut novel!

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalleyUK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Close to home is out now.
#netgalleyuk #scottishreader #irishbookstagram

Sean is a twenty-something Irish university graduate struggling to find decent-paying work in Belfast. His prospects are further dampened when he punches some guy at a party and he’s taken to court for assault. Also in Sean’s life is his older brother Anthony, whose spiralling drug abuse masks a horrible past, and his childhood friend Mairead, who dreams of leaving Ireland behind and making it in Berlin.

Michael Magee’s debut novel Close to Home isn’t the kind of book that has a plot - it’s more of a snapshot of a particular time and place in certain people’s lives. And for that, it’s fine, but I was hoping for, in place of a driving narrative, some thoughtful insight/commentary or memorable characters instead and didn’t get those either. And so what Close to Home turned out to be was a rather mundane and uninteresting book that I didn’t find very engaging and was very easy to keep putting down.

Being poor sucks, bar jobs are tough gigs, bad things happened during the Troubles, university degrees don’t automatically entitle a person to a great job, child abuse is bad, and some people in their 20s go abroad to find better opportunities for themselves. So far, so ordinary. But those are all of the things Magee highlights in his novel and they make for unimpressive reading.

Sean and his mates party a lot, he and Mairead have a will they/won’t they pseudo-romance, and all of the stuff I mentioned in the paragraph above get repeated over and over.

Magee’s a decent writer but the lack of a strong narrative or a fresh perspective or even a point became more noticeable the longer the novel went on. I don’t know what Magee was trying to say or why - methinks this is just that cliched “autobiographical first novel” that some writers start their careers with - but I wasn’t taken with the consistently dull Close to Home.

Close to Home follows Sean, a University graduate who must return to his home of Belfast despite it being the last thing he wants to do. Subsequently trying to avoid being shaped by trauma and class, Sean does his best with the hand he’s been dealt.

This novel feels like a love child of Sally Rooney and Douglas Stuart, and it’s my hope that it receives the same attention and praise as any of these two authors’ titles. Michael Magee’s debut novel has a narrative that straddles many important themes, such as trauma vs. masculinity and social class, doing so in a way that is understated but undoubtedly poignant.

Magee showcases his strong grasp of storytelling and character study in Close to Home, putting a distant and flawed, but loveable character at its centre. We get to know his world, and despite its imperfections, we grow to know it and appreciate it as Sean does.

One of my favourites of the year so far, and a must-read.

This was bleak and graphic in places. I now know more about the after effects of over consumption of drugs than I did before.

The book didn’t work for me. I didn’t particularly like the writing style and found the plot too thin. I have never been to Belfast and found the constant references annoying, which is silly as I usually enjoy books that have a strong sense of place. I was relieved when it ended.

It has had some glowing reviews but just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to Netgallery for the ARC

Love Michael's writing, talking about dark subjects, intergenerational trauma but with humour. I felt seen, the experience of class and being from the North of Ireland permeates into everything, whether you like it or not.

Happy Publication day to this debut novel that I think a lot of people will love. The majority of early reviews on this book have been glowing and I have seen its inclusion on several books to look out for in 2023. Unfortunately, I did not love it. Maybe some of that is on me and I was in the wrong mood for it when reading but I just didn't connect with this one.
There is some really beautiful writing within especially with Sean's relationships with the women in his life , these were captured just wonderfully. It was all the male relationships that to be honest in time just bored me a little. The drinking and fighting, the theft. It just wasn't something I was interested in reading about over and over again.
Enjoyed the Belfast setting and I had empathy for Sean and I absolutely appreciated the writing in many parts but sometimes a book fails to connect with me and this was one of them.

Wishing the author success with this one, I am sure there is a huge audience for this one.

3 star read for me . Decently written in the most part and a strong start but ultimately it left me feeling a bit flat.

Fantastic read though reminded me a lot of "Shuggie Bain for Belfast" - but the writing kept me very invested through to the end. A great read and I will recommend this around.

This much lauded debut novel (named among the Observer Best Debut Novels of 2023) is a work of auto-fiction inspired by the author’s own life.

It’s a gritty coming of age tale and a sharp take on life for a young man, Sean Maguire, from West Belfast trying to make the best of himself with an impoverished childhood and layers of generational family trauma weighing heavy on his shoulders.

Sean has a degree in Creative Writing from Liverpool and he has returned home to Belfast to make a life for himself. He’s surrounded by unreliable friends who are only happy to drag him under at every opportunity (not that he puts up much of a fight).

There are moments of real beauty in the book - Sean’s friendship with Mairéad, his vulnerability in the face of class differences with Mairéad’s friends and his relationship with his mother are all beautifully portrayed. The stealing, shoplifting, fighting, drug taking and drinking got a bit tired however - there’s so much of it and it’s samey (particularly the Tesco self-checkout scam).

I read a review that described the book as never having really sparked to life - that’s exactly how I felt about the story and the writing. I’ll share the reviews of others who loved it more. A promising debut even if I’d didn’t love it personally. 3/5 ⭐️

*Many thanks to @penguinbooksireland @penguinrandomhouse for the advance copy. Close to Home will be published on 6 April 2023. As always, this is an honest review.*

'A portrait of modern masculinity as shaped by class, by trauma, and by silence' sounded like a most appealing premise to me. This, combined with the fact there are so many interesting voices coming out of Northern Ireland at the moment, made me very keen to read this novel. Unfortunately, the book left me somewhat underwhelmed. The author offers an interesting setting (post-conflict, post-recession Belfast) which he clearly knows intimately, a promising central character (young man returning home after being away at university) and some fertile ideas to explore (intergenerational trauma, class dynamics, inherited violence), and yet he didn't manage to turn all of this into anything that really resonated with me. The novel is entertaining enough, but lacks sufficient spark and personality. The characters could have been better developed and ended up rather unmemorable, the writing is fine but not particularly compelling, and some of the situations described are decidedly clichéd. The encounters between the protagonist and the 'arty-farty uni students' read at times like a(n unintentional) parody, and the portrayal of the main character's family and environment felt to me rather as if every single 'miserable working-class background' box had to be ticked. I enjoyed the attempts to explore the violence simmering beneath the skin of men from certain backgrounds and also the deft descriptions of Belfast and its different areas, but overall it's not a book that is likely to leave a strong or lasting impression on me.

With thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Drawing on personal experiences in Close to Home, Magee delves into a poignant exploration of toxic masculinity amidst the cross-generational trauma of the Troubles and events closer to home.

Our narrator, Sean, is the first in his family to go to university, an undertaking he thought would lead him to a new life full of prospects and far from the kind he witnessed growing up in Twinbrook, a predominately working class, Republican area of West Belfast.

Sean's dream falls away as he graduates in a post-crash era, and void of prospects, he returns home and falls in with a rather iffy crowd he has known since childhood.

Sean is from a single parent household. His Da vanished a long time ago. His poor Ma struggled, scrimped and worked two jobs to provides for her kids. And Sean feels people look down on him for this, even though they don't know him; they know his language his accent, and he feels hemmed in by it.

Sean knows he needs to be putting more effort into sorting his life out, but alongside his housemate, Ryan living the party life is much more appealing, for a while anyway. But these parties lead to trouble, the missing work and losing your job trouble, the punching a fella at a house party and ending up in court receiving a community service order kinda trouble.

Things go from bad to worse as Sean loses his job, the flat is about to be repossessed, and he’s forced to move in with his long suffering Ma. While back at home, he learns or perhaps revisits some family traumas, which makes him take a long hard look at why he and his brothers lead the lifestyles they do.

Bleak at times, with some potentially triggering subjects tackled, but the narrative is strewn with deadpan humour to balance it out. 4⭐

Close to home, the debut novel of Micheal Magee, follows Sean from punching someone at a party to getting and doing the 200 hours of communal service that he got for the assault.
There is a lot worrying about money, spending what he has on drugs and booze, partying and talking to an ex-girlfriend of his.
"There's only so much partying you can do, and when there are fewer and fewer people to party with, it starts to feel like there's nowhere else to go. You're stuck in this hole with the same three or four faces for the rest of your life"
This is advertised as "a portrait of modern masculinity as shaped by class, by trauma, and by silence, but also by the courage to love and to survive". Not sure I really got that out of this novel. More often than not I thought that this is probably a male version of a Sally Rooney book. Unfortunately I never felt I understood Sean. For me the best parts of this were his interactions with Mairead and Ando, his older brother. The second half of the book worked better for me, as it is ending on a note of hope. Worth a read as it is short and a handful brilliant passages strewn in there.
"Look at Sean. He went to Liverpool and got his degree, and fair play to you, there's no chance I could do that. But like, you thought that was it, you got your education and all, but sure what difference has it made? And it's shite because you did well, and I'm not trying to be a dick here, you got further than any of us could. But you're no better for it. You're exactly where we are, and sure where the fuck are we?
Nowhere, I said.
Exactly, so what chance do we have? "

Loved this book following Sean, a young Catholic in Belfast in the early 2010s. In and out of trouble, losing his way and not able to take any benefit from his degree in English lit.
Against a backdrop of poverty, drugs and violence we follow Sean and his friends, following his assault of a stranger at a party. It’s a powerful study of masculinity, of broken families, of republicanism, of sexuality, and of art and literature. There’s a real heart to the writing, elevating it above misery literature.

Some similarities with Douglas Stuart, but very much worthy of standing alone.

This is a very evocative and emotional piece of writing. Simple sentences combined create a throughly enjoyable read hear. I anticipate Michael Magees next work with eagerness.

This is a remarkable portrayal of the hopelessness of a particular time, yet it is masterfully crafted to bring a touch of gentleness to the narrative. The characters are captivating in their unique personalities, and I found myself wanting to delve deeper into each of their stories. While the plot may not be fast-paced, the author's writing style, reminiscent of the works of Sally Rooney and Douglas Stuart, kept me engaged throughout. However, I did find myself yearning for a stronger emotional connection with Sean and his story. If the author had delved deeper into what was going on inside his head and the relationship dynamics it would have really elevated it to that next level.

Sean Maguire born an reared in Belfast. He’s brought up in the aftermath of the troubles. Still an undertone of the violence and segregation that went on and is probably still going on to an extent.

This story although a work of fiction could be deciphered as real life experiences of someone in their early twenties. Sean is from a single parent household. His Da vanished a long time ago. His poor Ma struggled, scrimped and worked two jobs to provides for her three sons. She tried to keep her son Anto out of trouble and from getting mixed up with any republican gangs.

Except you can’t say boo to Anto, so better to stay quiet and be a bystander to his antics.

In the wake of the recession, jobs have vanished and prospects have gone down the toilet. Sean returns to Belfast from University in Liverpool. He was supposed to be the successful one, the one that broke the cycle. Yet here he is back in his old habits, hanging around with the same old mates.

This book in my opinion is a work of art. It depicts the life they are living so well and so vividly. I enjoyed the narrators voice and his sense of being lead by the crowd but also knowing he should be doing better.

Sean comes across as a very unassuming type. I feel like circumstance has lead to his life choices so far.

I particularly enjoyed picking out places in Belfast I’ve been before. The Asda on Kennedy Way for example which we’ve been to many times!

This is a must read, a ‘real life’ picture of modern (2010ish?) Belfast for those living on the bread line.

A stunning debut

Magee's debut novel is an intimate and personal depiction of the life of a working class young man trying to figure out his life in West Belfast. After punching another lad in the face one night, Sean sets in motion a series of events that include his eviction, 200 hours of community service, and the loss of several jobs on his path towards redemption. At times wryly funny, Close to Home simmers throughout with the legacy of the Troubles and the hopelessness felt by those living in it's shadow, trying and failing to escape the never ending cycles of poverty and destitution that plague them.

This is a very special debut from Michael Magee. Set in Belfast, we follow Sean as he's returned home from Liverpool and gets in a fight that leads him to do community service. But more than that, we see someone who's been dealt a tricky hand making a life for themselves. Sean frustrated me and yet I kept rooting for him.

There's so much emotion in this book. So much care for people regardless of their flaws. I couldn't put it down, really fell in love with this.

This book was featured in the 2023 version of the influential annual Observer Best Debut Novelist feature (past years have included Natasha Brown, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Douglas Stuart, Sally Rooney, Rebecca Watson, Yara Rodrigues Fowler, JR Thorp Bonnie Garmus, Gail Honeyman among many others).

The novel is an examination of toxic masculinity shaped by economic factors (in particular the prolonged downturn in Belfast in the early 2010s) and by the often unspoken/unacknowledged legacy of trauma – both personal (in particular abuse within a family) and societal (particularly the impact of the violence of the Troubles).

The book is told in the first person by Sean – from a West Belfast Catholic single-parent family. His mother, a teenage mother emigrated to New York with her husband and two young sons (Anthony and Gerrard), only to return to Belfast at 22 after he started to beat her. Unable to pay for an annulment she was ostracised by the Catholic Church and later had a son (Sean) by another man who left her after living with the family for a few years and now has his own very middle-class family in the countryside (including a daughter Aoife).

Sean studies Creative Writing in Liverpool, but, returned to Belfast immediately after graduation and at the age of 22 (of course the same age as his Mother when she returned) is now at something of a dead end. The book opens with him having punched a man at a party in an cold/surprise attack after losing control over some abuse – which quickly leads to a trial and a Community Service sentence.

Most of the book thereafter explores Sean’s life – which between stints of Community Service seems to mainly consist of drinking, drug taking, shoplifting and occasional bouts of work (in bars or nightclubs) which themselves seem more chances to steal from his employer – I must admit I did not feel that much empathy with the characters behaviour.

We learn more of his mother – and her art/painting inclinations, of the troubled and violent Anthony (and what has driven his behaviour), of Sean’s father and step-sister (who he starts following on Social Media as he decides whether to reapproach his father after years of estrangement). He also reconnects with Mairead – something of an out of control rebel at school, but who unlike Sean has made more of a go at her English degree (in her case at Queens) and who is now planning to move away to Berlin.

I also found the writing a little pedestrian – I have often criticised books for having language which, while stunningly written, seems inconsistent with the first party narrator’s background – but here, given Sean’s academic background and inclinations as a writer, I would have welcomed and understood it.

My ultimate issue with the book is that I kept hoping for either the writing/language or the plot/characters to spark – and for me they simply did not, which just left me feeling underwhelmed. It perhaps did not help that I read the book after the blazing language and incendiary plot of another of the Observer list: Jacqueline Crook’s “Fire Rush”.

Some parts I liked:

At one point Sean, encouraged by Mairead, writes a partly autobiographical story and sends it a Southern Ireland literary magazine and while rejected for publication receives some encouraging comments and detailed feedback. The author himself is the fiction editor of a Belfast based new writing magazine (The Tangerine) and this book itself (which is partly autobiographical) had its origins when the editor of the Dublin-based “The Stinging Fly” suggested to “write him a letter ‘starting off at any point in my life and go from there’”.

The book ends explicitly with the opening line of Milan Kundera’s “The Joke” : “So here I was, home again after all those years” as Sean ends up moving to a University district in Belfast having tentatively engaged in a literary community.