Pieces: A Novel in Stories

Pieces brings to life a large Irish-American family struggling with the aftershocks of alcoholism and domestic violence through three generations. The Donnegans’ childhood demons morph in unexpected ways, and each sibling must strike his own bargain. For some, the prize is an unlikely redemption; for others, a familiar curse brings new pain. As they grow into adulthood, the Donnegans’ apparent conformity to middle-class mores masks a reckless irreverence that springs from first-hand knowledge of the chaos below the surface of human interaction. The Donnegans are refugees in disguise, fearing normalcy is out of reach, but each time they’re forced to come to terms with what their actions have cost them, their choices—often bizarre, yet darkly victorious—speak to the human spirit when it’s unwilling to give up hope. “Told with a sure voice and an appreciation of the small graces that can come to us in our darkest times, McGuigan’s stories ask us to consider what it means to forgive, what it means to accept, what it means to be a family.” —Lee Martin, author of The Bright Forever and Late One Night “Affecting and well-wrought, a novelistic richness of character and great dramatic control, as well as terrific wit and insight.” — The Kenyon Review " The deepest sources of family pain are explored here, and the ways in which damage can keep seeping through the years. The writing is elegant and assured, the tone moving and elegiac. Brava.” —Roxana Robinson, author of Sparta " This is a book no lover of fiction should miss.” —David Jauss, author of Nice People, New & Selected Stories II “ [Pieces] taps into the raw, emotional drama and powerful character investigation that will leave the reader moved and gasping for air. McGuigan’s novel is both dizzying and unforgettable; certain to make an impact on its readers.” — US Review of Books