The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac

Praise for The End of the World is a Cul de Sac:

“Kennedy’s droll wit and spot-on dialogue brilliantly illuminate her characters’ travails.” —New York Times Book Review

“These gritty stories are marked by dark wit and avid artistry. . . . Literature with backbone.” —Boston Globe

“These are lives in progress, bolstered by richly imagined back stories, that we dip into for a critical moment or stage…Kennedy packs these stories with life. . . entrancing.” —Star-Tribune

“Quietly bleak and deliciously detailed.” —Shondaland

“Dazzling. . . . Brace for a tense and provocative examination of women’s lives, and how perseverance can push you through the direst circumstances.” —Real Simple

“A contemporary publishing unicorn: a work of extraordinary craftsmanship, written by someone who knows something about life.” —Compact Magazine

“This taut, sometimes surreal collection is all about women’s lives and it dives to gut-twisting depths and soars to dizzying heights. Perfect for women and anyone who’s ever met one.” —Good Housekeeping

“One of the most exciting voices in Irish literature.” —Chicago Review of Books

“Irish in its lyricism and landscape, universal in its portrayal of the vagaries of the heart.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“Incisive stories [of] women at precipitous turning points in their lives. … Each story reverberates with a sense of the far-reaching effect of choices made or imposed. It adds up to a remarkable and cohesive collection.” —Publishers Weekly

“Like fifteen novels squeezed between two covers, ready to blow your mind. The only other writer I can think of who packs this much moving, terrible life into each story is Alice Munro.” —Emma Donoghue

“Dazzling, heartbreaking . . . these fifteen taut tales recall Annie Proulx at her best: salty, wise, droll and keen to share the lessons of a lifetime.” —Guardian

“Gritty, bitter, hard-won. . . Kennedy’s voice, and her unforgiving gaze, are electric.” —Sunday Times (London)

“I love Kennedy’s vividly conjured reality. Her prose is so alive, I am surprised that the book stays shut when you close it.” —Anne Enright

“Darkly funny, beautifully crafted, intense – this is an outstanding first collection from a natural story writer” —Kevin Barry