These two interests are closely linked: for her urban women, who are almost always Irish exiles, sexual relationships are a means of escape from the guilt and loss of self that is a result of the break with their childhood background. O'Brien is especially known for her ability to describe landscapes, people, and situations in exact, lavish, and often sensuous detail. Her writing tends to vary between simple or "non-literary" language and lyrical, rich prose, and she often uses a well-known technique, best described as the projection of inner emotional states onto the landscape, in unexpected ways. Perhaps most importantly, over the years O'Brien has demonstrated a willingness to experiment in terms of storytelling, plot construction, and narrative voice.
O'Brien's literary experimentation has sometimes brought her into disfavor with reviewers. Dwelling on the similarities of her stories, the literary establishment has been inclined to dismiss her experiments as evidence of poor writing or a lack of rigorous editing. Only O'Brien's earliest work exhibits a coherent narrative and believable characters with which readers can identify.
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