The Village Is Quiet

Book excerpt: Patrick Hartigan's tableaux of a Slovak village, where his wife Lenka was born, draw us into the simple and sensory lives of a grandpa, grandma, Linda the dog and the villagers who go about their business. Hartigan chronicles the family relationships and rituals from the viewpoint of an outsider and yet the care he brings to these observations makes them feel like cherished heirlooms. The Village is Quiet is an exquisite collection of stories where strangeness and intimacy transport us into another world. 'Patrick Hartigan writes the same way that he paints: as if the world is standing still and he is walking through it.' -- Erik Jensen, author of Acute Misfortune: The Life and Death of Adam Cullen and On Kate Jennings 'The book is a gem.' -- Caroline Overington, The Australian