Irish playwright and novelist Sebastian Barry uses war in a very different way in his stark new novel "A Long Long Way." Set as World War I is beginning, "A Long Long Way" tells the story of Willie Dunne, who leaves Dublin, his family, as well as the girl he plans to marry to fight the Germans. Dunne is swiftly introduced to the shocking horror of war and pines for home. But when he gets a chance to go back home, political tensions have arrived there as well, leaving Dunne feeling adrift. Barry's novel is ultimately an insightful look at war, politics and the human heart. ($24.95 / 292 pages /Viking)