CARRIE KABAK
Author & Essayist
Reviewed for Readers' Favorite
Carrie Kabak’s Shibby Magee unfolds in two timelines, following the identical twins Isabelle “Shibby” and Isadorah “Dorah” Magee, who are like chalk and cheese. The story starts in the 1970s when the kids are abandoned by their Traveller [Minceir/Pavee] mother, Vera Coffey. They are raised by their bigoted grandma, Nanna Magee, at the fading Gilligan’s Bakery together with Benny, their cloistered father, and Alice, the family housekeeper. At forty-five, Shibby is working as a chef in Galway when she impulsively marries [Traveller] Povey O’Brien and then finds out he is a bigamist and an abuser. When she flees to Burren Droma, she makes a devastating discovery about her father. Will she be able to choose a man who doesn’t abuse her or be forced into the same cycle of toxicity and ruin?
Carrie Kabak’s novel presents a tangled plot and complex characters. Shibby’s impulsiveness is raw, skillfully factored into the bad decisions she makes; she is a heroine who is broken in many ways, and her romantic gullibility matches her mother’s self-destructive patterns. Dorah is the pragmatic, sharp ballast, the opposite of Shibby. Ireland is finely drawn with details of the yeasty heat of Gilligan’s Bakery, the marginal Traveller camps, and the wind-swept, craggy cliffs of Burren Droma. Shibby Magee offers a family portrait tainted with secrets and decades of sacrifice and shame, clerical abuse, and blackmail. Writing about inherited trauma, this author's exploration of identity and the Settled/Traveller divide illuminates the story. The first-person narrative voice gives weight to the characters, while the dialogue crackles with authentic Irish slang that reflects culture and place. The prose is filled with sensory details, from the smell of fish and seaweed to the buttery smell of caraway seed cake. This is a delightful read.
- Christian Sia
Every so often you come across a book that completely takes hold of you, and Shibby Magee by Carrie Kabak did exactly that for me. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Ailish Jeffers. I sank into this story as Jeffers brought its characters, language, and world to life.
Carrie Kabak has a remarkable gift for voice. She is a master of eye dialect and colloquial language, creating characters and dialogue that feel deeply rooted in place and culture. Experiencing the story through audio made this aspect of the novel even more powerful. Ailish Jeffers’ narration gave the dialect a natural rhythm and authenticity that helped me hear the characters’ voices in a way I might not have fully captured on the page. I still found myself looking up words and expressions throughout the book, but I loved every minute of it.
I adore books that transport me into the wonder and richness of other geographical regions and ways of life. There is something special about stepping into a world that feels unfamiliar at first and then slowly becomes a place you settle into and understand. Between Kabak’s writing and Jeffers’ narration, I felt completely immersed. I soaked it all up.
What makes Shibby Magee especially memorable is the glimpse it offers into the world of Irish Travellers. The story feels immersive and layered, opening a window into traditions, community, identity, and ways of life that many readers may know little about. Kabak creates characters who feel beautifully human, carrying their burdens, loyalties, and longings with them.
At its heart, this is also a powerful story about sisterhood and the bonds between women. The relationships feel real, messy, fierce, and deeply moving. There is loyalty, strength, heartbreak, and love woven through these connections, and those threads stayed with me long after the audiobook ended.
Some books entertain you, and some books settle into your soul. Shibby Magee did the latter for me. Carrie Kabak’s beautiful storytelling, paired with Ailish Jeffers’ compelling narration, completely captivated me and left a lasting mark.
- Megan McLeod, Librarian
"It's like Shibby gets up on a nettle for a sting" said Dorah, "only to be surprised when it hurts."
Feck this, arrah that, Shibby Magee by the outstanding Carrie Kabak has it all with the relatably dark and manic Irish humour that we all love. This tragicomic novel follows Shibby Magee after her mother Vera decides to leave and never return. Right before disappearing in a car with a man in a cowboy hat, she reveals to the family that she is actually a Traveller/Mincéir. Shibby and her twin sister Dorah are then left in the care of their emotionally distant father Benny, their caustic Nanna Magee, the lovable Moochie, and Alice, the motherly housekeeper.
The social prejudice of the community is revealed when there is a stronger reaction to Vera being a Mincéir, than to her abandoning her children. A social prejudice so strong that even Nanna Magee, whose own business Gilligan's bakery is struggling financially, buys good clothes they cannot afford to keep up appearances with the parish ladies. Their father Benny may as well be absent for all the attention he pays to them, even calling them the "bane of his existence", yet there is more going on with Benny than it seems at first.
My favorite character had to be Alice with her mismatched eyes, her many quirks, and obsession with banshees. She is absolutely hilarious, but like many of the characters, is a bit lost and described as "three parts a woman, one part a child." Her love for Shibby and Dorah, though suffocating at times, is truly genuine and touching.
Another crucial character is Kitty, a traveller girl who joins Shibby's class and eventually becomes her lifelong best friend. Through Kitty, Shibby and Dorah are given an eye-opening insight into both the beauty and struggle of traveller life.
I also adored the sisterly bond between Dorah and Shibby. They are like chalk and cheese but they remain essential to one another and stick together through thick and thin. Dorah is brutally direct, observant and realistic with many memorable lines such as "Jesus... I'd eat the balls off a low-flying crow!" Shibby meanwhile is more quiet and introspective than her twin, always hoping and dreaming for better. Wishing for her Mammy to come home, to have a better relationship with her father, and later, for a true meaningful love with another person.
The prose is lyrical and warm, the dialogue fast and hilarious, and the imagery so vivid that you feel completely immersed in the world Kabak has expertly built.
Lyrical, Warm and Darkly Funny!
- Ciara, History Doctor and Library Assistant
An Irish Traveller Story of Sisterhood and Belonging