Matt picked up this little guy for me at Hodges Figgis bookstore in Dublin. Anne Enright is an acclaimed author that lives in Ireland and won the 2007 Booker Prize for The Gathering. It seemed a perfect little novel to remember my time in Dublin.This is a novel about family secrets. And most novels I read about family secrets end up feeling like an episode of the Oprah show (see: incest & molestation). This is a heavy book but Enright does magically weave the story together and I did not feel burdened by the characters or the revelations. Critics liken this book to Joan Didion or James Joyce's The Dubliners. The Library Journal calls this book "an acquired taste" and "suitable for larger collections." Translation: not for all.
I enjoyed the part at the end where grandmother Ada has a white coffee and slice of cake at Bewleys on Grafton. Been there, done that.
I relished in this book as I relished in Ireland. A country that has many secrets and stories to share.
I just read this post out loud to my Aunt who has visited Ireland 12 times. (She is here visiting from California.) She was the one who took me to Ireland as a college graduation gift. Neither of us has read this book but it is going on the list.
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