There's some lovely language here--John Patrick McHugh's writing is great--but the storytelling itself was lacking for me. In particular, it lacked flow, which are crucial in terms of establishing a sense of cohesion or logic to the story and its characters' actions. The storytelling felt barebones to me, like it was just relying on the impressionistic style of the writing and nothing more. For this reason, this didn't altogether work for me.

Pure Gold by John Patrick McHugh is a collection of turbocharged short stories that will leave you in shock and awe!

Whilst these stories are set in a particular region of Ireland, the themes would be universal though some are based on local traditions. The characters are full of life and the descriptions are stunningly realistic.

McHugh has a unique skill with language that has been recognised by a number of leading authors.

A short story collection blurbed by and compared to Sally Rooney and Colin Barrett. McHugh's prose is incredible (a stunning blend of more colloquial Irish English and super interesting descriptions and metaphors) and the way in which he structures his stories impeccable - but this was so very, very bleak, featuring many sad and unlikable characters, many of which where teenaged boys - a demographic I am not always interested in reading about.

Interesting story and characters. Not a heartwarming or easy read but I liked the story and the style of writing.
A new to me author that I liked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A wonderful collection of short stories exploring Irish identity and toxic masculinity. Honest and raw writing. A great debut collection from John Patrick McHugh - excited to see what he writes next!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Collins for the complimentary advance review copy of this book.
Pure Gold is a collection of short stories set in Ireland. It covers many topics, including divorce, relationships, first loves, loss, and more. It’s a well written collection, but I found some of the stories harder to engage with than others - enjoyed “Twelve Pubs” though.

3.5 rounded up

Oof - John Patrick McHugh is one to watch. Having seen strong reviews from fellow Goodreads users I was impelled to request a copy of this collection of short stories centring around a cast of young people living on a fictional island off the coast of County Mayo.

With cover quotes from Sally Rooney, Roddy Doyle and Lisa McInerney, and having previously had stories featured in The Stinging Fly (the Irish literary magazine for which Rooney was an editor - at least two of McHugh's stories can be found online if you're interested) this book had a lot to live up to, and for this reader it (mostly) delivered.

It took me a little while to settle into the rhythm and style of the stories, but once I'd done this it felt like each story was better than the last. Themes of young men coming of age and struggling with everything this entails prevail (particularly when it comes to dating), and I found that the writing perfectly captured how it feels to grow up in an isolated rural area where everyone knows each other.

Fans of Irish literature (and - dare I say it - taut, Rooney-eseque short stories) will find much to enjoy here. Recommended!

A collection of eight short stories that take place on a small island off the West coast of Ireland.
Well written, realistic to the point of grittiness, definitely no charming characters or plots - looking forward to reading more from this author.