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April 29, 2026
Devotions by Lucy Caldwell review
The Northern Irish writer explores music and family, memory and duty in this stunning collection of sharply observed tales
TL;DR
- Devotions is Lucy Caldwell's fourth collection of stories, exploring family life, professional arts, memory, and duty.
- The stories feature characters dealing with divorce, loss, entrapment, and the complexities of life, often oscillating between bleak irony and optimism.
- Caldwell's characters display quiet resilience while being breakable, depicted in moments of spiritual and emotional loneliness.
- Themes of duty to one's future, talent, teachers, locality, memory, and origins are prominent.
- The collection is praised for its realism, sharp eye, capture of the moment, and skillful depiction of human experience.
- The stories are described as stimulating, frightening, quietly passionate, and comforting, offering a unique perspective on the world.