LONG ISLAND
Colm Tóibín
Penguin Random House Canada
May 7, 2024
303 pages
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Fifteen years ago I read (and enjoyed) a book by this author, Brooklyn. It was about a young lady who came from Ireland to Brooklyn and married into an Italian family. This is the continuation of that story.
In this story there is a dual setting: Long Island on a cul-de-sac with different branches of the family. And, a small village in Ireland. I have a soft spot for any story taking place in Ireland or New York City.
The writing style is different from anything I’m used to. It is narrative driven, even including the thoughts of the characters. The narrative is simply written, but it leaves an impact.
There is dialogue too, but not as impactful as the narration. Most of the narration seems to happen inside the characters’ heads. None of the characters in the story seem to be very happy. There’s a marriage in crisis, infidelity, separation, unhappy elderly mothers, moral decisions.
It sounds like this is a depressing story, but surprisingly, I became very invested in the characters. I was hoping that there would be resolution and I had my fingers crossed for them the whole time. It’s also a good study in the fact that everything is not black or white. There’s a much more grey than anything else.
The book ends as it should, in my mind. It fits with the tone of the book. And, perhaps there might be a sequel to the sequel. I hope it’s not another 15 years.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
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