John C Tarpey

In Suspension John C Tarpey

West-of-Ireland weather is relentless. It gives residents a cheeky backward stare, as if to imply that they owe it something. Amid the dulled consciousness of Maguire's bar, lone daytime drinkers contemplate their tragic timelines. The owner, Dennis, counts stacks of coins. The Players, who hold their own territory in the bar, have little tolerance for chit-chat about the weather. Meanwhile, the Aloof sits alone, quietly observed by the others. But what no one knows is that he is a mastermind with a plan. In a collection of Irish tales, dispirited characters are connected by rural co-dependency, time, and place. Soaked in the reverence of an old Sunday suit, an elderly man plants himself in a corner of Morty's bar. A widower for years, these days the Suit organizes his movements to avoid contact with the volatile couple who lives next door to him. Now he is left to contemplate whether this is all there is to life when one survives for so long. Miss, whose husband has taken to visiting his father often, has been left alone once again. When she decides to take a walk around Dublin, Miss is led on a journey that culminates in a decision that may change everything. In Suspension shares ten entertaining Irish stories that highlight gloomy characters interacting with the countless streams of human connectivity secretly suspending them.