Colin Barrett was born in 1982 and grew up in County Mayo. In 2009 he was awarded the Penguin Ireland Prize. Homesickness was named a Best Book of the Year by the New York Times, and Young Skins won the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, the Guardian First Book Award, and the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. His work has been published in The New Yorker, A Public Space, Granta, and The Stinging Fly. In 2015, Barrett was named a National Book Foundation "5 Under 35."

Praise for Wild Houses

"Barrett's dialogue, spiked with the timbre of Irish speech and shards of local slang, makes these characters sound so close you'll be wiping their spittle off your face... Despite moments of violence that tear through the plot, the most arresting scenes are those of anticipated brutality, perfectly drawn vignettes that capture the lives of people caught in this deadly trade... Clearly, those years of writing short stories have given Barrett an appreciation for how fit every sentence must be; there isn't a slacker in this trim book. Even the asides and flashbacks hurtle the whole project forward toward a climax that feels equally tensile and poignant, like some strange cloak woven from wire and wool." -Ron Charles, Washington Post

"A heartbreaker of a debut novel... Nicky -- and her quest -- is the soul of this fine novel. In Colin Barrett's nimble hands... the lives of a small collective of mournful souls become vibrant before us, and their yearning is depicted with wistfulness, no small amount of humor and one dangerously ill-tempered goat." --Dennis Lehane, New York Times Book Review

"[A] short, deftly written novel... The kidnapping serves as a binding device, bringing together a small, carefully drawn cast of characters under unusual, high-pressure circumstances... The release of that pressure is sometimes violent, but it is also revelatory." --New Yorker

"Barrett soars into the tier of Kevin Barry and Sally Rooney, both influences, but his grim yet tender vision of humanity distinguishes his tale... Wild Houses is akin to a Yo-Yo Ma concert at Carnegie Hall: Barrett's pitch is perfect, the acoustics divine. He metes out his dialogue in syncopated bits, reminiscent of Barry but less slapstick. While a cheeky humor thrums throughout the novel, Barrett isn't particularly interested in redemption or even plain decency... Unfurls like a controlled detonation, rich with wonder and catharsis." --Hamilton Cain, Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Memorable, character driven, and distinguished by the author's beautiful style... This carefully plotted novel, with its superbly realized Irish setting, is a generous gift to readers." --Booklist (starred review)

"Irish writing is on fire and full of ballsy young upstarts like Barrett. This dark, raucous debut novel is about two outsiders who get caught up in a kidnapping in small-town Ireland. Expect drugs, wild parties and revenge, as well as rich language and vibrant characters." --Sunday Times

"Ever since Barrett's short-story collection Young Skins appeared in 2014, the publishing world has been awaiting his novel. Edgy and sharp, it's a tale of a kidnap and small-time drug dealers in County Mayo. Sally Rooney and Anne Enright are fans, which tells you something." --Financial Times

"Another year, another rush of novels by hot Irish talent. Barrett has already produced two rapturously received short story collections. This, his debut novel, centres on the kidnapping of a teenage boy in a west Ireland town, before spooling outwards to explore its impact on those who know him. His short stories prove Barrett knows how to craft a beautiful sentence that simmers with impending violence. This nastily slow-burn chiller is shaping up to be one of the novels of the year." --Daily Mail

"Another much-anticipated Irish debut is Colin Barrett's raucous Wild Houses, about two unfortunate recluses who are dragged into the surreal and violent underbelly of their small town."