Book Review – A Fifth of Bruen

Author: Ken Bruen
Publisher: Busted Flush
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: May 2006

A Fifth of Bruen is an omnibus edition that collects all of Ken Bruen’s early work in one volume. It contains the four novellas:

Funeral: Takes of Irish Morbidities
Shades of Grace
Martyrs
All the Old Songs and Nothing to Lose

The two short story collections:

Sherry: And Other Stories
Time of Serena-May / Upon the Third Cross

Its interesting to note that Bruen’s earliest stories were very much literary fiction, then the crime element was flirted with then fully embraced with the novel Rilke On Black.

Some highlights of this collection are.

Martyrs – A character study that culminates in one of the most surprising if not downright shocking moments of any book ever. It very much catches you off guard when it happens and you go back to skim the lines to make sure that you aren’t mistaken. There is a great comedic moment later in the story when the main character, Steven, is waiting in the rain for over an hour to catch a bus. The bus finally arrives and he gets on. All he has is a pound coin, which is more then the fare. The driver tells him that he doesn’t have change. Steven tells him that he’ll just buy two tickets and to just keep the change. The Driver informs him that it is against regulations. Steven turns to the crowd on the bus to ask if anyone has any change . The driver tells him that there is no begging on the bus and proceeds to kick him off.

Even in the early novels Bruen’s characters were being slapped down by a higher power with a sense of humor.

The Time of Serena May – This elegant story is worth the price of admission all by itself. Its about a young couple who have a daughter that born with Downs Syndrome. This is one of Ken’s favorites of his own stories and it is easy to see why. The emotional roller coaster that the parents go through is at times harrowing as they come to realize just how much they love their daughter. At a later point in the story one parent asks of the other, What will we do if someone at school makes fun of her? and without hesitation the other states, Burn the fucker down, illustrating their unified front. It really should be required reading for all parents that have a child with Downs Syndrome.

Bruen also gives an inner voice to the pet dog. His commentaries on the surroundings as he passes from room to room are simply sublime and he quickly becomes a fully formed character also.

A Fifth of Bruen is peppered with ideas, themes, moments, characters, words, scenes and lines that will make more fully fleshed out appearances in later works. Some will be re-worked, some recycled but all of it is interesting. On one hand its great to see the genesis of so many things that are starting to coalesce into Bruen’s style but on the other hand it is also clear from early on that a lot Bruen’s style is in place early on . I wouldn’t recommend A Fifth of Bruen as a place to start for those who haven’t yet read Bruen. For the best introduction go read The Guards or The White Trilogy. But for the Bruen fan interested in gaining some insight on where the current books came from then Fifth of Bruen is for you. All of the stories and novellas in A Fifth of Bruen are solid and well told while still retaining Bruen’s distinct voice.

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