The Acrobat:
“Imagination meets biography in this novel about Cary Grant. . . . Grant’s life is not the happily-ever-after film where hero and heroine kiss as the credits roll. Instead he is alone and frightened, desperate to be seen, to be heard, to be loved. . . . A beautifully imagined, sympathetic portrait of a flawed icon.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“[A] splendid fictional biography of Cary Grant, charting the film star’s path toward an ‘endless conundrum of fame.’. . . Delaney vividly captures the intoxicating and toxic fumes of Hollywood, where ‘egos go to be crushed,’ and presents an alluring amalgam of fact and fiction. Breezy and entertaining, Delaney’s portrait perfectly befits the glamour and fakery of his subject.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The Big Impossible:
“Edward J. Delaney's a natural storyteller. And let's be honest, how many books do you come across where you can tell this right away? Stories about the open road, families, failures, comebacks . . . And all so closely observed and mercifully unpretentious. ‘Why are the memories of my youth so humid?’ Delaney writes in his beautiful evocation of 1968, “House of Sully.” See what I mean? Such a welcome collection.” ―Peter Orner, author of Maggie Brown & Others and Am I Alone Here?
“[D]eeply nuanced, delicately crafted, and empathetic works of near magic.” ―Chicago Review of Books.
“The Big Impossible showcases all the qualities that make Edward J. Delaney's writing so great: depth of feeling, a sneaky punch of wit, and beautiful sentences that soar to great heights. Delaney had me in his spell throughout, from the chilly interior of a school shooter's mind, to a man reviewing past lives via Google Street View, to a family in 1968 torn apart by, among other things, the sartorial choice of bellbottom pants. The Big Impossible easily ranks among the best fiction I've read this year.” ―David Abrams, author of Brave Deeds and Fobbit
“Busted men, usually from busted homes, populate this well-turned collection. . . . The novella ‘House of Sully’ is a crystalline portrait of a dysfunctional family . . . [in] an integrating Boston neighborhood. (A Mephistophelean figure keeps encouraging the white family to sell as more black families move in.) Delaney neatly balances a sense of rootlessness and failure with a respectable nobility. . . . [E]ngrossing and emotionally nuanced[, a] sturdy and careful set of portraits of men struggling not to be swallowed up by their failures or upbringings.” ―Kirkus Reviews
“Delaney’s attention to the subtleties of the communities he portrays demonstrates not just familiarity but also respect. There are no cheap archetypes or easy stereotypes [here]. . . . Whether we’re on the narrow streets of Dorchester or traveling the wide-open expanses of the Great Plains, there’s a shared emotional terrain that we all occupy. Delaney knows that terrain. It’s where all of his stories ultimately reside.”―WBUR, The Artery
Follow The Sun:
Big Other "Most Anticipated Small Press Book" selection
"An absorbing story about regret and redemption. . . . [Delaney] has a keen eye for detail and a knack for creating colorful, naturalistic dialogue that imbues each character with depth and agency." ―Providence Journal
"A family saga wrapped in a seaside mystery. . . . Stealthy, quietly captivating." ―Portland Press Herald
"Delaney tells multiple moving stories in his third character-driven novel, each intricately woven into the fabric of the others. . . . [His] portrayal of his characters' struggles to survive their troubled pasts is heartbreakingly realistic and honest, making the suspense and its eventual resolution all the more meaningful." ―Booklist
"Outstanding. . . . Written in an artfully terse style that not only carries the story but conveys a sense of the working-class world it's set in. The dialogue is especially sharp, delivered in quick, polished punches. Characters can be sarcastic, even harsh in their dealings with each other, but their humanity and underlying sorrows come through in every exchange." ―Foreword Reviews
"Delaney writes with well-honed grit and artful description. . . . Everyone seems smothered by the atmosphere and hard-knock life of a small fishing town with few available dreams or modes of escape. Delaney is wonderfully adept at working that atmosphere on his characters with compelling results." ―Shelf Awareness for Readers
"Leads the reader to a deeper understanding of family and what family represents. . . . Addresses contemporary issues . . . and despair when few options are left in making life choices. The locations in which these decisions are made do not take place in upscale homes and fancy places but on lobster boats, in prison, newspaper offices and local bars." ―North of Oxford
"An impressive cast of characters. . . . A dramatic and action-filled climax." ―NewPages
"Follow the Sun is just plain fantastic. Edward J. Delaney has orchestrated a tight, tense page-turner and a harrowing, deeply imagined literary portrait of an entire family, perpetually on the brink of decimation. He lands the reader in perfectly rendered portside bars, small-time newspaper offices, lobster boats, prison. Everywhere, there are the Boyle brothers and their kin, struggling with legacies of poverty, of violence, of the almost lost cause for personal freedom, for modest, hardworking hope. Their lives are done full justice because they are depicted with astonishing precision and artfulness. What a knockout read." ―Paul Harding, author of Tinkers and Enon
"In this pungent, gritty novel, hardscrabble lives are rendered with utter realism, terrific dialogue, and a slow-burning tenderness for all concerned. Delaney's knowledge of this milieu is never in doubt, and his control of the material is masterful." ―Phillip Lopate, author of To Show and Tell and A Mother's Tale
Broken Irish:
- Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly (“Delaney keeps all of the incipient tragedy beautifully and heartbreakingly balanced through artful plotting and an unadorned but graceful prose style.”)
- Starred Review, Library Journal (“A masterpiece”)
- Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews (“a book of remarkable merit”)
- Starred Review, ALA Booklist (“An artfully constructed story”)
- Editors Choice Award as a “best book of 2011” ALA Booklist
- Boston Globe review: “Focuses on relatable, human drama that makes the novel and its characters truly indelible… a satisfying novel steeped in verisimilitude.”
- Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Delaney reveals unexpected connections among the troubled souls in this highly recommended book."
- San Francisco Chronicle: “A nuanced and elegant novel.”
- A “best book of 2011,” Robert Birnbaum, ourmaninboston.com
- “All-Star Fiction” list of only four books of fiction published in 2011 to earn starred reviews from all four major review sources (Overbooked.com)
- A “Must Read” selection by the Massachusetts Center For The Book
Grand Prize winner, 2012 New England Book Fair
Finalist, 2012 Massachusetts Book Award
Honorable Mention 2012 Julie Ward Howe Prize