Book review: The Black Raincoat

Drawn from life experiences, The Black Raincoat is a collection of short stories from author Brian Clarke.

Short stories by Brian Clarke

£8.99

Dublin-born Brian has had a varied career as a management consultant, both at home and abroad and uses his experiences of life, love, and loss to give his tales a depth of feeling and knowledge that the reader will truly appreciate.

The title story, The Black Raincoat, is that of a man recounting to a colleague of a life he once had; of how he had entered a seminary; how his idealistic expectations of life in the priesthood jarred horribly with the reality of religious life; and how he plotted his escape during an All-Ireland final football day.

Many years later, the standard-issue priests’ raincoat hangs on the back of his office door serving as a reminder that no matter how bad things are now, they will never be as bad as they were then.

Written with a simplicity of style that is refreshing, this collection relates with a language that is ordinary, honest and true.