For The Good Times - David Keenan

WINNER OF THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2019SHORTLISTED FOR THE ENCORE AWARD 2020From the author of This Is Memorial Device.‘A gasp-inducing thrill of a ride.’ i Independent‘An exhilarating novel, burning with rage, danger and dark humour.’ Literary Review‘Remarkable . . . demented brilliance.’ Scotland on SundayBelfast, 1970s: Sammy and his three friends live in an impoverished area of the city that has become the epicentre of a country seemingly intent on cannibalising itself. They love sharp clothes, a good drink, and the songs of Perry Como, whose commitment to clean living holds up a dissonant mirror to their own attempts to rise above their circumstances. They dream of a Free State, and their methods for achieving this are uncompromising. But For the Good Times is not just a novel about the IRA. It is about the heartbreak and devastation that commitment to ‘the cause’ can bring; of violence and betrayal, breakdown and rebirth.