Antarctica

Stories

By: Claire Keegan

Narrated by: Sheena May, Aoife McMahon, Aidan Quinn, Sophie Roberts

The compassionate, witty, and unsettling short stories collected here announced Claire Keegan as one of Ireland's most exciting and versatile new talents and earned comparison to the works of Joyce Carol Oates, Alison Lurie, Raymond Carver, and others. From the titular story about a married woman who takes a trip to the city with a single purpose in mind—to sleep with another man—Antarctica draws listeners into a world of obsession, betrayal, and fragile relationships.

In "Love in the Tall Grass," Cordelia wakes on the last day of the twentieth century and sets off along the coast road to keep a date, with her lover, that has been nine years in the waiting. In "Passport Soup," Frank Corso mourns the curious disappearance of his nine-year-old daughter and tries desperately to reach out to his shattered wife who has gone mad with grief. Throughout the collection, Keegan's characters inhabit a world where dreams, memory, and chance can have crippling consequences for those involved.

A Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2001, and recipient of the prestigious Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the William Trevor Prize, Antarctica is a rare and arresting debut.

©1999 Claire Keegan (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Not about Antarctica ..

I love to read historical fiction and non-fiction about places I am going to travel to. Unfortunately, this collection of short stories had nothing to do with my upcoming visit to Antarctica. I listened to the first two stories, and decided to go no further. They were gloomy And quasi-predictable. If I want to be depressed or slightly worried/concerned/scared I will knowingly pick a book that overtly states that is what it is going to do to me. I returned the book to audible without continuing.

Such a good writer

Although this is not Keegan’s best work, it’s worth a listen. Keegan retains the ghost- hauntedness of the best Irish writers, but still has a new perspective on relationships and life struggles.

Incredible, but out of order and missing one story

I’ve just discovered Claire Keegan thanks to a New Yorker podcast where George Saunders reads her story, “So Late in the Day” (available on Audible, highly recommended). A near-perfect collection. I didn’t like the stories set in the US as much as the ones in Ireland, but that is not to say they aren’t worth listening to. My only problem is the stories were out of order compared to the book and the story “Close to the Water’s Edge” was not included. Don’t know why those things were done/switched around.

Excellent stories. So accessible!

Loved the versatility, the voice. This short fiction suits my listening style! More like this!!

Incredibly well written

Incredibly well written. Had listened to her short story, ‘Foster’ and was immediately drawn in by her style of writing. Antarctica is much the same, just a little too melancholy for my taste.