Nothing here was part of her. It was false, empty…
Longlisted for The Man Booker Prize (though it did not make the shortlist), Colm Toibin’s book is about young Eislis Lacey’s journey from Ireland to Brooklyn and from girlhood to womanhood.
I did enjoy reading about Eislis’s immigrant experience and her struggles in her new surroundings, but the story was a bit slow moving. I normally don’t mind that at all in books, but the novel was perhaps a bit too muted. In some ways I do expect that that could have been Toibin’s intent, however, and perhaps was an indication of Eislis’s character.
I heartily sympathized for Eislis at the end, but I also felt that she made the right decision. If you’ve read the book as well, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
2009, 262 pp.
[Disclaimer: This book was obtained using my public library.]
