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#Gifted

Long Island is the eagerly anticipated sequel to Brooklyn, Colm Tóibín’s 2009 bestselling novel that was also turned into a movie. I loved both book and film so I was really excited to get stuck into this latest release and find out how Eilís is getting on.

Brooklyn takes place in the 1950’s, and Long Island transports us forward to the 70’s. Eilís is happily ensconced with Italian American husband Tony, and their two teenage kids Rosalyn and Larry. Their community consists of his extended family, which can be a little cloying at times as they often misunderstand Eilís and the cultural differences she brings with her. Still, all is going reasonably well until a knock at the door brings bad news.

Feeling unmoored from her life in America, Eilís decides it’s time to return home to visit her mother, friends, and even a former love interest to see if there’s still a place for her in her homeland.

Soon Eilís realises that you can in fact go home again, but what you thought was home may not exist anymore.

I loved this book. Tóibín is such an understated, gentle writer; his prose is often simple, but yet is so impactful. There’s a very definite sense of time and place; even thinking of it now, I can picture the small town in Wexford, the nearby beach, and Eilís sticking out like a sore thumb in her New York clothes.

All of the characters felt like real people to me; Eilís keeps her cards close to her chest, and you can feel how she struggles with her mother’s gossipy ways. Their interactions felt very realistic, and honest; Eilís is a “foreigner� in America, and now Ireland too, and navigating that is difficult and feels well portrayed here.

My only qualm is that the ending is ambiguous, and I’m only mentioning that because I know a lot of people dislike that. I personally see it as a “choose your own adventure� so it doesn’t bother me 😅, but I’m pointing it out now so no one can get annoyed with me 🤣

That said! I highly recommend this book, I already know it’ll be in my favourites list for 2024. It was both a joy and a comfort to read.

With many thanks to @bookbreakuk and @panmacmillan for my advanced copy. Out in May!