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Secret Consequences

Fifteen years after bringing us Eilis Lacey in the novel (and movie) “Brooklyn,�� Colm Toibin updates us on her life. Still married to Tony, she has been slotted into a composed life in Long Island with her in-laws and their two children. A knock on the door changes everything. An irate man tells Eilis that Tony has impregnated his wife, and the man will not raise the child, that he will leave the baby at their doorstep.

No, no, no�� Eilis makes a stand. She will not raise the child, will not accept the baby being brought into her house. She learns that her mother-in-law is plotting to take the baby in, literally just across the street. Eilis tells Tony she is going away, back to Ireland, to visit for her mother’s eightieth birthday. Their children will join her there�� the question of whether she will return is up in the air. Though unspoken, the threat is that if Tony takes in the baby, the marriage will be over.

In the novel “Brooklyn,�� Eilis left for Ireland after secretly marrying Tony. During her stay she drifted into a romance with Jim Farrell, who was unaware she was married, unaware of her secret. In the twenty-five years that have passed, he really never got over her or the abrupt way things ended. As fate would have it, just before Eilis returns, Jim develops a relationship with another woman, Nancy, and they secretly plan to marry. And then Eilis reappears.

Secrets, secrets, secrets. Nearly every character, every plot twist, is filled with them. No one considers that they are lying, it is more that concealment is preventing unnecessary complications. Every silence, every deception adds to the risk of discovery and the consequences we dread only increase the tension as the story progresses. The time bomb is ticking, and we are propelled to the finale. A brilliantly crafted novel.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #ScribnerBooks #ColmToibin #LongIsland