A review by lukebryan
Days Without End by Sebastian Barry

dark reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

0.5

I suppose I didn't quite understand the great reception that Days Without End has, as I just didn't find anything to take away from it. As a novel that seems to be self-reflective, there is a strange disconnect that I found between the treatise of self-discovery the book focuses on and the colonial line against indigenous Americans that toes the settler line. The prose itself also didn't do anything for me, with the descriptions of war being almost boilerplate in its descriptions of the horrors present, leading to a novel that felt at odds with itself while not capitalising on itself. Finally, the central romance that drives the book was altogether uncompelling to me, as it seems to fade into the background at several points to almost deny itself. I really wish it foregrounded it more, as that was the novel's impetus.
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