Wild Houses

by Colin Barrett
Wild Houses cover
Good Books rating 4.0
Literary Fiction
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  • ID: 8
  • Added: 2025-08-02
  • Updated: 2025-10-12
  • ISBN: 9780802160959
  • Publisher: Grove Press
  • Published: 2024-03-12
  • Formats: 89
  • Reviews: 4

Wild Houses is the riotous and deeply resonant debut novel from acclaimed Irish writer Colin Barrett, known for his award-winning short story collections. The novel expands Barrett’s linguistic energy and gritty storytelling into a thrilling narrative about two outsiders ensnared in a small-town revenge kidnapping gone wrong. Set in Ballina, County Mayo, the story follows Dev, a reclusive loner whose quiet life is shattered when Doll English, the bruised younger brother of a local dealer, is brought to his home by violent cousins seeking vengeance. Meanwhile, Doll’s girlfriend Nicky, a troubled seventeen-year-old haunted by her own past, embarks on a desperate mission to save him while grappling with her uncertain future in their small town. Barrett’s novel is praised for its crisp, cinematic prose and its unflinching portrayal of violence and despair in rural Ireland, offering a darkly funny and moving exploration of crime, dreams abandoned, and the struggle to find identity amid chaos.

Reviews
Reading, Writing, and Me · 2024-12-22
introspective 4.00

The novel’s narrow focus on a bungled kidnapping reveals deeply lost characters whose unexpected connections foster personal growth.

The reviewer finds the characters in 'Wild Houses' to be lovably lost individuals navigating difficult personal histories and small-town challenges. They note that while the kidnapping plot is central, the story excels in exploring the characters’ inner lives and how the crisis forces them to confront their patterns and relationships. This awkward, imperfect crime scenario becomes a catalyst for self-discovery and change, making the novel a compelling character study despite its modest scale.

Quick quotes

    These characters are all lovably lost.

    In this awkward kidnapping situation where no one really knows what they're doing, these characters learn a lot about themselves and each other.

    This random event is what they needed to jolt out of their harmful patterns.

The Bobsphere · 2024-09-02
solid 3.25

The novel is a tightly constructed crime story with strong introspective character moments, though some parts of the crime plot feel less engaging, making it a solid but somewhat pedestrian read overall.

The reviewer appreciates Barrett’s skill in exploring the inner lives and traumas of the main characters, particularly Dev and Nicky, and finds the novel to be well-constructed and thoughtful. However, they note a drop in engagement when the narrative shifts to the actual crime elements, feeling that those parts lack the same energy as the introspective sections. Overall, the book is described as solid and enjoyable, suitable for a quiet reading day, but not particularly thrilling or groundbreaking.

Quick quotes

    Wild Houses is a tight well constructed novel but at times I did feel it was pedestrian at times.

    I enjoyed the introspective bits but when the plot shifted to the actual crime, my interest would flag.

    In no way do I dislike this book but, for me, it felt like something I would read on a rainy day. Solid, That’s how I would describe it.

Cyprus Mail · 2024-07-02
resonant 4.25

The story gains power from the complex characters Nicky and Dev, whose personal struggles and sacrifices bring emotional depth to a bleak small-town kidnapping plot.

This review highlights how the novel centers not just on the kidnapping plot but on the nuanced lives of Nicky and Dev, who are caught in circumstances beyond their control. Nicky’s selflessness and Dev’s isolation and history of depression provide a poignant emotional core, making the bleak events feel deeply resonant and ultimately uplifting despite their harshness. The reviewer appreciates how the novel explores the tangled connections in a small Irish community, revealing the simultaneous bonds and blindness among its inhabitants.

Quick quotes

    The real power comes from Nicky and Dev, who are forced to deal with a mess not of their own making.

    Nicky is both the youngest and oldest character in the book.

    The final haunting magic of the book is how Barrett crafts something in which the facts remain resolutely bleak at the end, and yet you feel uplifted for having read them.

Chicago Review of Books · 2024-03-25
cinematic 4.50

Barrett’s novel is an achievement of precise, understated prose that builds a gripping, cinematic narrative about violence and acceptance in rural Ireland.

The reviewer praises Barrett’s economical use of language and crisp sentences which drive a tense, brooding story of kidnapping and organized crime in a small Irish town. They find the portrayal of violence both casual and brutal, reflecting a community’s uneasy acceptance of harsh realities. The use of a unique setting—a house with a basement unusual in Irish homes—adds to the novel’s atmospheric tension, highlighting the complexity and ruthlessness of its world.

Quick quotes

    Wild Houses is quite an achievement, a novel of crisp sentences and understated language that propel a gripping, cinematic narrative.

    The picture he paints of organized crime in the Irish countryside is just as convincing for its casual brutality as it is for the locals’ acceptance of such violence.

    Every kidnapping story needs a hideout... and that location is the country home of Dev Hendrick.

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