Notes From A Coma

(Paperback)

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Description

After suffering a catastrophic mental breakdown, J.J. O'Malley volunteers for an improbable government project which has been set up to explore the possibility of using deep coma as a future option within the EU penal system. Brilliantly imagined and artfully constructed, the novel merges science fiction with an affectionate portrait of small town Ireland. Notes from a Coma is both the story of a man cursed with guilt and genius and a compassionate examination of how personal identities are safeguarded and held in trust by loved ones.

Reviews

Praise for Notes from a Coma

"A cross between 1984 and The X-Files . . . Notes From a Coma establishes McCormack as one of the most original and important voices in contemporary Irish fiction.
Irish Times (original review)

"The greatest Irish novel of the decade."
Irish Times

"McCormack's language is lovely, lyrical . . . his humor is dark, macabre; the words glimmer like a spell."
Time Out

The testimony about JJ's life is written with a sad and touching simplicity . . . Intriguing.
The Wall Street Journal

Subtle but haunting storytelling mixes with an insightful examination into the ethics of the penal system to produce an unusual and unforgettable read.
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Notes from a Coma is the finest book yet from one of Ireland's most singular contemporary writers, a daring reinvention of the gothic for the age of machines."
Matt Bell, author of In the House upon the Dirt between the Lake and the Woods

A major talent in Irish fiction . . . McCormack slyly and brilliantly satirizes, among many other things, our fixations with celebrity and high-priced medical technology.
Booklist

Additional events and commentary take place literarily underneath these chapters in long footnotes . . . [They underscore] how unique and noteworthy this unusual novel truly is and why McCormack undeniably deserves a wider audience on this side of the globe.
Bookgasm

An intriguing novel that touches on many of the moral and ethical questions of the day. Mike McCormack is one to watch.
Book Chase

A great work of literary/psychological fiction...well worth the read.
A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall

Are you ready for something mind-bending, something intelligent, introspective, and quintessentially Irish Five men volunteer to enter a comatose state to test a new idea for incarceration of criminals. The novel makes a subtle statement on todays politics, spirituality, and even celebrity worship.
Mary T. of R.J. Julia Booksellers

"Compelling....A story of politics, psychology, metaphysics, and family that defies easy classification."
Required Reading

Praise for Mike McCormack

"McCormack's obsessions at times converge with those explored by Ian McEwan, Will Self and J. G. Ballard, but his clever ideas and fluid, gracefully morbid style are all his own."
GQ

"When venturing into the realm of the macabre, a writer gains a distinct advantage if he has a sense of discipline and a sense of humor ... Mike McCormack has both to spare.... Like parables in their easy transcendence of setting and time, the most audacious stories are classics."
The New York Times Book Review

Author Bio

Mike McCormack has published a collection of short stories, Getting It InThe Head, and a novel, Crowe's Requiem. In 1996, McCormack was awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. In 1998, Getting it in the Head was voted a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. A story from the collection, "The Terms," was adapted into an award-winning short film.