The devil is in the detail and it is the small details and the texture of the mellifluous observations that, for me, gave the novel a certain brilliance.
A long marriage is put under the microscope by a weekend in Amsterdam, revealing its nuanced familiar responses/irritations, fragility and flaws. The great Irish backdrops of religion and alcohol entwine themselves into most scenes almost like enlarged stage props for each of the couple to embrace and despise.