Life Without Children

December 13, 2021
Doyle’s accomplished collection (after the novel Love) probes the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on a series of marriages. A mug angrily thrown at a wall during an argument in “Box Sets” turns out to be the last straw for a recently laid-off husband and his disillusioned wife. The mug doesn’t shatter, rather it prophetically breaks in half “along an old crack.” The title story features a father of four who is on a work trip in England, where he toys with the temptation to abandon his family back in Dublin. In “The Curfew,” regional lockdown guidelines induce sadness, panic, and hopelessness, all of which are compounded for a man after he receives a dire coronary diagnosis. “Nurse” features a healthcare worker reflecting on the inner turmoil induced by her daily reality, while in contrast, a man mourns the loss of his own routine in “Masks.” It is only during Doyle’s final few stories that his characters begin to find compassion and hope. A master of dialogue—whether strained, deceptive, or free-flowing—Doyle has a keen eye for the interconnectedness and the criticality of communication, which makes these stories shimmer. Doyle’s raw portrayal of living and loving under lockdown has a deep resonance.