Tota la novel.la esdevé durant una sola tarda a un hotel de baixa categoria, en un dia gris d’hivern a la inhòspita Coney island. Dos amants es troben i repassen la seva trista existència, només interrumpida per un bri de felicitat un cop al mes, quan es troben tots dos en aquell centre turístic proper a New York. S’acaricien, xerren, fan l’amor, s’abracen, gaudeixen del seu dia, tot i que inexorablement el dia s’acaba i la melangia s’apodera de tots dos, com si fos del darrer dia es tractés. ( )

Normaal zou ik nooit naar een boek grijpen met een titel die zo naar chicklit ruikt. Maar blijkbaar ben ik erg beïnvloedbaar door mijn literatuur-vrienden, die deze roman hoog aanprijzen in hun reviews. Ook de setting van het verhaal, de vergane glorie van Coney Island, New York, leek een plus. Helaas kwam ik van een bekaaide reis terug. Het was vooral de stijl van O’Callaghan die me in het stof deed bijten: de gezochte metaforen, de overdadige sfeer-elementen, de woordenbrij soms, het werd me op de duur wel wat te veel. Alleen het tweede hoofdstuk, over de vroegtijdige dood van het zoontje van protagonist Mathew, greep me wel aan, want O’Callaghan wist hier wel de juiste toon te treffen. Maar na de zoveelste beschrijving van het aftakelende lichaam van Mathew (neen, ik voel me niet aangesproken), en de zoveelste ode aan de schoonheid van zijn vrouw en zijn minnares, had ik het wel gehad met de clichés. Ik beken dat ik het boek na 100 bladzijden opgelucht dichtsloeg, ik ga het dan ook geen rating meegeven. Sorry voor de fans.

Despite the hype, very disappointed. Over heated prose and pretentious. The author doesn't seem to really have anything to say nor do his characters. He seemed to have spent his energy creating literary sentences but a novel largely devoid of content or appeal. A stylized romance. ( )

They met once a month on Coney Island. Have done so for many years now. They love each other, but both are married to other people. As we walk with them on a windy, cold day on a Coney Island that is a shadow of what it once was, as we enter the hotel room that is far from new, rather seedy, we learn their story.

O'Callaghan may be my new, favorite wordsmith. His writing is descriptive, sometimes one may think it overdone, but it is beautiful, emotive. These two people are committing adultery, but the tenderness between them, the tender way they are written by the author, made me want to hear their story. His chapter on grief is the most expressive, touching that I have ever read. I read this so slowly, often out loud, many times rereading lines, paragraphs, in wonder at his talent. In many ways it reminded me of a movie I loved ages ago, called The same time next year. Loved the movie, loved the idea of the plot.

These two meet and the changes in their lives, their bodies as they age from young to the middle of their years. Their familiarity with each other, yet still the wonder. These few hours together is their time, but life so often intrudes. Very melancholy, but thoughtful, how long can they go on, together, apart?

ARC from Edelweiss. ( )

My Coney Island Baby by Billy O'Callaghan begins with Michael and Caitlin on their way to an off-season hotel on Coney Island for their monthly rendez-vous, something they have been committed to for the past twenty-five years. Michael and Caitlin are married but not to each other. As a winter storm approaches, the couple must decide whether to continue their affair or leave each other forever. Michael's wife is seriously ill with cancer and Caitlin's husband may be transferred to the Midwest. As each chapter unfolds, we get to know each lover, from their youth through to their married years. These are interspersed with chapters about Michael and Caitlin in their present-day hotel room. I have read several reviews that objected to the adultery but it is not for me to judge. This is a heart-breaking story told with achingly beautiful and sensitive prose. Reading was pure pleasure. This is the second Billy O'Callaghan novel that I have read and I am a fan for life. Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. ( )