Set in Tipperary, Ireland from the 1970s to present day telling the story of the Gladney family and what happens to them after their daughter, Moll, goes missing for five years, I felt that the novel flowed well between the different narratives, characters and timelines but I finished with the feeling that I hadn't got to know the characters more than beyond a surface level. The 'story within a story' didn't work at all for me either, but, as others have noted, this books excels in the depiction of the characters emotions and inner turmoil. It's just unfortunate that, for this reader, things don't come together as a whole.

Beautiful writing - as is to be expected from Ryan - but I have to say the story left me feeling pretty cold.

Donal Ryan's writing is stunningly beautiful, the way he conveys complex feelings like shame and regret without ever being exploitative is masterful - but the construction and the pacing of this story do not manage to develop enough immersive force. The novel opens with the disappearence of young Moll Gladney from Tipperary, Ireland (the author's home region) - five years later, Moll suddenly comes back, and it's impossible to give further details without spoiling the plot which in this case fully relies on one reveal piling up on the next one: We learn secrets about Moll and the people she brings back with her, about neighbors, parents, children etc. - a whole social web is untangeld and laid bare until finally, at the very end, we learn why Moll left in the first place. While looking at individual destinies and feelings, Ryan discusses themes like social inequality, racism, violence, family, love, sexual taboos and religion.

All those twists and turns we are offered somehow do not converge with the contemplative, lyrical writing though, and as Ryan started shifting viewpoints, I started struggling to keep my interest. Plus: I'm all for experimental narrative constructions, but the lengthy short story one character writes and that is of course a meta-narrative to the main plot, inserted in multiple fragments, jumped the shark for me (as a counter example, Kunzru does the same thing in his new book Red Pill, but as the whole text is fast, experimental and wild, it makes sense in the grand narrative scheme - here, it mainly annoyed me).

The way Ryan evokes atmosphere and describes landscapes is once again beautiful, and some characters like Moll's father are rendered with a wonderful quiet dignity, while others remain projection surfaces. This book is less about character development than about character analysis, the unraveling of secrets long buried, but also the strategic revelation of information by the author to keep the reader constantly guessing - unfortunately, there is just too much of it, which as the story moves along makes the whole thing appear more and more contrived.

Donal Ryan is one of the great Irish writers working today, his empathy and knack for atmospheric prose are admirable, but this isn't his best work.

How lucky are we in Ireland to have such great writers! Donal Ryan’s latest wonderful offering is indeed a tale of Strange Flowers. The language is beautiful, ornate, and precisely selected for the register required of each individual character, each voice, each story. His characterisation is wonderful, allowing us to learn only as much as he wishes about each character, until the need arises. Paddy and Kit were humble, likeable, appreciative of all, as was Alex too but Moll was much more difficult to assess, until the story culminated with an explanation of all. The different strands of each character’s life were beautifully connected to give us a story rich in emotion, passion and the limitations and restrictions of traditional Irish society.

Ryan is so accomplished at only revealing information that is required for the telling, and saving more for later, to keep us interested, to force us to read on. It’ s told in the present tense, first person from the point of view of Molly, Paddy, Kit, Joshua, Honey, Ellen. He drip feeds nuggets of information until all the pieces fall together like a jigsaw puzzle, simple, understated but beautiful.