'Chris Binchy takes the simple stones of ordinary words and skims them across Ireland's filthy modern tide with a deftness, style and remarkable confidence that gives bounce to his tough, lean prose. The best novel of the Celtic Tiger yet published' Joseph O'Connor
'This is a portrait of a modern city pulsating with life, where characters struggle to be good but are linked by survival instincts, by the sense that, if not careful, they will be swamped by circumstances, they will not survive the deluge of what they need todo to survive and keep alive their dreams that one day they will have a down payment on happiness' Dermot Bolger, Sunday Independent
'Chris Binchy's fresh, skilful work manages to bag the tiger with a true shot … There is more to writing about the Celtic Tiger than throwing in a few references to breakfast rolls and decking – it requires a keen eye that Binchy clearly has' Irish Mail on Sunday
'This is a book about dislocation, yearning, greed, hope, love and anger – ubiquitous facets of the human condition. Open-handed is … almost the definition of art, in the sense that it takes the personal – or, in this case, the local – and makes it universal' Irish Independent
'Binchy nails modern Dublin as a night-town of violence, sex and criminality, where the streets are paved with broken dreams and teeth … It's not a pretty picture but it does reflect the savage voracity of the past decade' RTE Guide
'In an impressively unpretentious way, Binchy manages to raise numerous thought-provoking questions concerning the human condition in the 21st century: about identity, about home, about morality. Most of all, though, Open-handed is a good read' Irish Times
The place is Dublin. The time is the present. Five characters – two Irish, three from eastern Europe, all seeking success from wildly different starting points – become entangled with one another in a web of politics, property, sex and violence. Chris Binchy's novel is a beautifully observed portrait of a place and a time, and a thrillingly paced story of an unforgettable group of characters brought together by circumstance, ambition and need.
