Home truths

In his striking debut, expat Colin Walsh takes stock of modern Irish identity.

- STEPHANIE JOHNSON

KALA, by Colin Walsh (Atlantic, $36.99)
The current crop of younger Irish writers is stellar. Audrey Magee, still in her forties, drew readers worldwide with her fable-like story of insular violence in The Colony; Claire Keegan's novellas and short stories are beloved by millions. Both of these writers have stayed in Ireland. Belgium-based Colin Walsh writes about the motherland from a distance, like his compatriots Colum McCann (New York) and Emma Donoghue (Canada). In his debut novel, Kala, Walsh calls this going to the Other Place.