ŷ������

3.5 STARS

This book has left me conflicted. I read Brooklyn in 2015 and I loved it- it was one of my top ten that year. In that book, I could feel Eilis�� unsureness- her ultimate decision made, she moved back to New York.

Again in this book, Eilis has to make tough decisions. We know from the blurb that Eilis finds out in Chapter 1 that Tony has been unfaithful and the other woman is pregnant. The other woman’s husband has told Eilis that he will be dropping that baby off on her doorstep. What a stunning revelation! Eilis decides she needs to get away, so decides to go back to Ireland, after a 20 year absence. This go round, we follow Nancy Sheridan, Eilis�� past best friend and Jim Farrell, her former Irish love.

There are so many secrets in this book and so many “Don’t tell�� warnings. I was left with so many questions by the end of the book. Eilis, as a character, was not as well fleshed out this time. She seemed very flat to me. I couldn’t decide if she had or had not been happy over the past 20 years. She is supposedly a strong person, but she never seemed able to stand up for herself. She objected to the baby, but yet she never asked Tony why this affair had happened. What went on in Enniscorthy, Ireland became like a three ring circus, with Jim ensconced in the middle. I wasn’t sure how Toibin would bring it to a conclusion, but conclude it he did. Hopefully, this is not the end of Eilis�� story, because if it is, what a disappointment!


Published: 2024