Dubliners by James Joyce

From the back cover: James Joyce was the singular figure of modernism, and to this day his grand vision looms large over contemporary literature and the entire Western canon. His stylistic innovations were revolutionary, yet nowhere is Joyce more accessible than in this volume of short stories, a brilliant collection that celebrates, critiques, and immortalizes the place that Joyce knew better than anyone else: Dublin. From the young boy encountering death in the opening story "The Sisters" to the middle aged protagonist of its haunting finale "The Dead," considered one of the greatest short stories of all time, Dubliners is a vivid portrait of the city in all its glory and hardship, and a seminal work that redifined the short form. Featuring a new Introduction by acclaimed novelist John Banville, this edition is not only a breathtaking portal into Joyce's "dear dirty Dublin" but a vital literary treasure from one of the great masters of all time. 

This was my first James Joyce book. I've started reading Ulysses today. While others may find Joyce's writing style off-putting, there is a simple complexity and a duality to it that I find interesting. I really enjoyed Dubliners. It's a short little book with fourteen short stories and a novella, making up fifteen stories, in which Dublin and its people are portrayed as accurately as can be. There is an ongoing thread throughout Dubliners and everything loosely and tightly interconnects. My favourite two stories are "An Encounter" and "The Dead" which both highlight Dublin and Dubliners in different ways. There is something so haunting and moving about "The Dead" and something so off-putting about "An Encounter" that those two stood out as my favourite two.

I really liked Joyce's writing style. It is like nothing else I have read. While it did take a little bit of getting used to, ultimately, his style fits what he is writing. His style is simple but hinging on absurd. All in all, I really, really enjoyed reading Dubliners, taking my time with the stories and allowing myself to really get into the narrative and the stories.

I give Dubliners 5/5 stars and I recommend it to everybody, as I think it is a book that everyone should read at one point in their lifetime.