Recent Reviews
Long Island by Colm Tóibín
In his newest novel, Colm Tóibín delves deep into the inner lives of his characters, revealing their thoughts and emotions. His emphasis is not on what his characters do but on how they think about their deeds. Combining a keen sense of Irish cultural norms with psychology, this book tackles the complexity of human communication and connection.
In Tóibín’s previous novel Brooklyn, a young woman named Eilis Lacey immigrated from Enniscorthy, Ireland, to Brooklyn, New York, and eventually married Tony Fiorello. When her older sister unexpectedly died, Eilis returned to Ireland and began a summer romance with local Jim Farrell. Neglecting to mention her marriage to anyone in Enniscorthy, Eilis found herself torn between her husband in Brooklyn and her feelings for Jim Farrell in Ireland. In the end, she returned to Brooklyn.
When Long Island begins in the 1970s, it has been twenty years since Eilis’ abrupt departure. Eilis and her husband have moved to Long Island and have two teenagers. Tony’s parents and brothers and their families live in the same cul-de-sac are intimately involved in Eilis’s family. And they constantly remind her that she is not Italian. When a man knocks on her door and tells Eilas that Tony has fathered a child with his wife, Eilis is shocked. The man states that after the baby is born, he or she will be brought to Eilis and Tony’s home. Eilis leaves Long Island and returns to Enniscorthy. She has no plan, but a determination that she will not raise the child. In Enniscorthy, she sees the still unmarried Jim Farrell. The story digs into the dynamic between Eilis, Jim, and Elias’ childhood friend, Nancy Sheridan, who has been dating Jim Farrell. Love and loyalty, betrayal and misunderstanding make their interactions complex and poignant.
Tóibín ability to mine his characters’ interiors makes the book riveting. He captures the contrast between the characters’ convivial public banter and their private angst and stresses. Even with those to whom they are closest, these characters rarely share their thoughts and feelings. Instead, they withhold, obfuscate or refrain from speaking. Living in Enniscorthy makes a person feel both supported and suffocated.
Though readers see the characters become assertive as they better understand their needs, I wish Tóibín had included more about their upbringings to shed light on why they make the choices they do. Nonetheless, there is no murder or mayhem, just good people with flaws and virtues navigating their lives as best they can. 4.5/5
James by Percival Everett
Percival Everett’s most recent novel, James, is brilliant. The premise is provocative and perfect. Everett has reimagined Jim, the enslaved character from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and renamed him James. James’ intelligence and compassion burst from the pages. He has secretly read many of the books from his owner’s library. His reading and writing has made him more insightful than the white people with whom he must interact.
James speaks with perfect grammar and erudition as do many of his fellow slaves. His knowledge of writers and philosophers is extensive. Yet to protect themselves, he and his friends revert to “slave talk” when white people approach. James says,“My change in diction alerted the rest to the white boy’s presence.”
As in Twain’s novel, Huck is running away from his violent father while James is fleeing because he fears he will be sold. He hopes to escape to a “free state” and earn enough money to buy his wife and daughter’s freedom. And thus, Huck and James embark on a dangerous and revealing raft ride on the Mississippi River.
The story illuminates the revolting behavior and attitudes of white people who often project their own inferiority onto the slaves they own. James should be read in conjunction with Huckleberry Finn or maybe instead of Huckleberry Finn. Highly recommend 5/5.
The Altar of the Dead by Henry James
Recently, a friend recommended Henry James’ short story, ‘The Altar of the Dead.’ Once I began, I was riveted. James knows his way around the tunnels and labyrinths of the human psyche. And his skill at translating these insights into the written word is stunning. In under 50 pages, he illuminates the raw and complicated emotions dwelling inside his characters.
Written in 1895, the story opens in London. The mood is melancholy, the setting dark and the protagonist’s character pensive. George Stransom’s wife-to-be Mary had died many Decembers past. Their wedding day never happened. George is haunted by her loss and the fervent desire to keep her alive in his memory. In a moment of inspiration, George conceives of an altar lighted with perpetual candles for Mary and his other friends who have passed. As a balm for his soul, he assigns an altar candle to each friend who had died. “He had perhaps not had more losses than most men, but he had counted his losses more; he hadn’t seen death more closely but had in a manner felt it more deeply. This suited his inclination, it satisfied his spirit, it gave employment to his piety.”
One day, he notices the presence of a woman at his altar who appears to be in mourning. They eventually speak and their intricate story unfolds. The story’s suspense derives more from the internal turmoil experienced by George and this woman more than any external event.
Though this book is about the rituals of remembering the dead, this story reveals how people navigate the steep hills of forgiveness and redemption among the living. “The Altar of the Dead’ is writing at its best. 5/5
