Like my previous Book Group read (The Coast Road by Alan Murrin), this novel is set in Ireland around times of political change that effect the lives of women. In The Coast Road it was legalising divorce, and in this book, the amendment to the law in question was to do with abortion – recognising the mother’s life on the same level as that of the foetus.
The book follows the stories of three women – Delores, coming of age during the time of the nascent Women’s lib movement, her daughter, Nell who is soon to become a mother with her pregnant wife but has to come to terms with the traumatic events in her teenaged years and Martina, who is Nell’s mentor in a religious women’s group that she attended as a teen who has traumatic events from her own past to deal with.
The writing is really beautiful and accomplished, and I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator was fabulous too. The story jumps about in time a bit, between the three main characters and different stages in their lives, and I did get a bit confused at times, especially early on before I’d figured out who is who and their relationships to each other.
Lots of themes are explored from sexuality, motherhood, female friendships, mother daughter relationships, religion, and guilt and forgiveness. Although I didn’t completely related to everything about the characters, I found points of contact and relatability in them all and I was quite gripped at times. If I had to compare this book to The Coast Road, I’d maybe say that this one was a little less light (and dare I say, a little less fun to read?!) but still worthy and certainly thought provoking.
Sarah Wray Writer 