As works written by a Northern Irish writer, there is an implicit pressure to regard the novels of Belfast-born Robert McLiam Wilson in terms of their connection to the Troubles that have characterized Northern Ireland since the late 1960s, especially since most of his books are either in part or directly concerned with sectarian tension and violence in Belfast. Similarly, there is an implicit pressure to place Wilson himself in relation to one of the contending identities within the context of Northern Irish society. Wilson addresses this issue himself in the essay "Sticks and Stones: The Irish Identity"(1997): "Like most of the citizens of Belfast, my identity is the subject of some dispute. Some say I'm British, some say I'm Irish, some even say that there's no way I'm five eleven and that I'm five foot ten at best. In many ways I'm not permitted to contribute to...