Rooted in the true fact that in 1967 John Lennon bought an island (Dorinish) off the Irish coast to escape the crazy world of being a Beatle and spend time with his family. He later established a hippy commune there, after inviting Sid Rawle (AKA King of the Hippies) to move to Dorinish and found The Diggers.
Knowing these facts will help you navigate some elements of "Beatlebone", a stream of consciousness imagined from the brain of Lennon as he attempts to make it to the island in 1978 to deal with a particularly bad bout of writer's block. Author Barry's Irish roots shine through in this Joycean tale that's surreal, innovative, crazy, confusing and brilliant all at once!
Worthy of all the plaudits it has received, this really is a book unlike any other and well worth a read. Definitely not for anyone - if you're looking for a casual beach read, I'd suggest looking elsewhere. But if you fancy a surreal trip into the imaginary mind of John Lennon, then this is very much the book for you! Hugely recommended.

There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

I genuinely have no idea what this book was about or what I was supposed to take from it. I felt this way midway through and after 320 pages I still feel this way.

John Lennon wandering around with no purpose. Ok. I still don’t get it.

Beatlebone by Kevin Barry is available now.

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