Ghosts and Lightning

Twenty-something protagonist Denny Cullen is called home to Dublin when his mother dies unexpectedly. He stumbles through the following weeks; vivid reunions with friends and family are felt through a veil of loss and grief. Written in the strong, colorful dialect of working-class Dublin, Byrne's first-person fiction reads like a memoir, and British actor John Lee's narration is natural and realistic. Lee articulates Denny's thoughtful observations with self-deprecating wit and heartfelt warmth kept in check with gritty, dark humor. A Doubleday hardcover. (Jan.)