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Title: Well-crafted, but empty
Review: The emptiness of the characters spills over into the essence of the book. And I don't think this is intentional. When James Joyce, the ultimate exemplar of the Irish story, wanted us to feel the emotional chill of his characters' situations, as in "The Dead," the chill was exquisite. I grew up in this territory. And while the characters are realistic, they are no more than that.
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