The Newer World by Sebastian Barry - an appreciation

The Newer World
Sebastian Barry
Published by Faber and Faber
Advance Reader Copy (ARC) supplied by NetGalley
Read on Kindle
Publication date: 10 September 2026
5*

I very much appreciate Sebastian Barry's writing, a feeling that has only grown stronger after hearing him speak at an author event some years ago.

Whenever one of his titles appears, it goes straight onto my "to be read" pile. For some reason, although I purchased them, I have never got around to reading his American Civil War series. As a result, when NetGalley offered me an ARC of The Newer World, his latest book, I wondered whether I was approaching things back to front. Would my enjoyment of this novel be diminished by not having read the previous ones?

I needn't have worried. I enjoyed it immensely as a standalone novel.

The opening chapter drew me immediately into what I thought was going to be a particular story. Then, quite matter-of-factly, that apparent beginning was set aside and a different path emerged. Brilliant. I loved that.

The publisher’s description of the novel promised a multi-layered character who in the person of Tennyson Bouguereau – “ a freed man, devoted brother, nascent singer, conflicted soldier and wanted man – journeys to find meaning and belonging”. For me it was an Odyssey and indeed there are several references to Homer and that work throughout. I was struck by the sentence: “I knew as I made my way home that there was no home.”

Other, deceptively simple phrases made me stop, reflect and savour. Consider these: “the rumpled grave”, “the granite of grief lifted off her", ”late-evening sun trying to listen in at the high windows” , "corpse cold rain."  Beautiful.

One of the things I noticed and liked in this novel was the author's willingness to leave gaps in the narrative. Here I was worrying that I ought to have read the earlier books in the series when I encountered this sequence:

"There’s a strange gap in my memory between the death of my mother and the beginning of the war in ’61. That’s a long stretch of years. Looking back there are a few times in my life when I’d be hard put to account for the years.”

What happened during that period? What experiences have shaped the characters in the meantime? Sebastian Barry is content to leave such questions unanswered.

I particularly liked that this elision of time comes through the words of a character rather than from an all-knowing narrator. It feels entirely natural. The author does not stand above the story directing our attention. Instead, the characters themselves carry us forward. It is their story. When they disappear for a time, or move beyond our sight, we do not know what has happened to them any more than we would in real life. This was the case, for example when Tennyson leaves America to travel with a choir to England. What of his sister back home?

As a result, the reader must do a little work, and all the better for it. At times, it feels as though the main character is speaking directly to you. There is real engagement here. You find yourself considering motivations and longing to ask questions. Why did you do that? What were you thinking? Could you go back?

All of this made for a deeply satisfying reading experience. I know that because, although I did not read the book in one sustained sitting, I was always eager to find a quiet moment to return to it. It captured my attention and held it throughout.

I am delighted that I have the earlier books in the series because I now intend to begin this American journey from the start. And while I am doing so, I suspect that I shall reread The Newer World as well.

I also have a strong feeling that this is not the end of the story. It will not surprise me if another novel follows.

That, perhaps, is a question I can put to Sebastian Barry himself at another upcoming author event. He is appearing in the Belfast International Arts Festival programme this October and thanks to Faber and Faber and NetGalley, attending that event will be even more enjoyable for having read the book beforehand.

I warmly commend The Newer World to your bookshelf.

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