Bridge of Sighs

The Ruin (2018) is the first novel in the Cormac Reilly series by Irish writer Dervla McTiernan. In the epigraph, McTiernan writes that a 'ruin' can be read in English, but in Irish 'ruin means something hidden, a mystery, or a secret, but the word also has a long history as a term of endearment'. With that, the reader sets off to uncover which meaning will apply to the book's title. 

Novice police officer Cormac Reilly is called to a crime scene where a woman has died, leaving behind two neglected children - Maude (age 15) and Jack (age 5). The children are taken in by authorities who will send them into foster care. It is a distressing case that stays in Reilly's mind. Twenty years later, Jack is found dead in the River Corrib, from a possible suicide. Jack's grief-stricken girlfriend Aisling and his sister Maude suspects foul play. Reilly, now a detective, is assigned to reinvestigate the cold case, wondering if there is a link between Jack's death and his mother's, two decades apart.

Reilly is an interesting character. Unlike so many police procedurals, where the detectives are damaged figures with terrible backstories that impact their work, Reilly is a normal hard-working bloke just wanting to do the right thing. After working in elite Garda units in Dublin, Reilly has taken a demotion to move to Galway with his girlfriend. He is disappointed by this new post, and challenged by the police work by some of his fellow officers. In many respects he reminded me of Hirsch, from Garry Disher's excellent Bitter Wash Road series. 

I really enjoyed The Ruin. McTiernan created an atmospheric novel which moves along at a just the right pace. There were a few aspects that I think could have been better managed, particularly related to Maude, and there were perhaps too many minor characters that could have been consolidated. But overall, I thought it was a terrific book and I look forward to exploring the next in the Reilly series with The Scholar (2019), The Good Turn (2020) and the prequel audio novellas The Sister and The Roommate.

Tainted Love

Irish author Sally Rooney has gained a kind of cult following among readers. Her debut Conversations with Friends (2017) was praised by critics and appeared on many top ten lists that year. Her follow up, Normal People (2018) won the Costa Best Novel award and the British Book of the Year Award and was longlisted for both the Booker and Women's Prize.

I picked up a copy in 2018 but quickly shelved it. The hype surrounding the novel - and many friends telling me that I absolutely must read it - put me off. It felt very much like the universe was telling me I had to enjoy this book, and I was concerned I wouldn't, so I avoided it at the time and the novel sunk further and further down my gigantic 'to be read' pile. I had forgotten all about Normal People until I recently stumbled across the 2020 TV adaptation of the novel staring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal. After binging the miniseries, I grabbed the book and binge-read the novel. 

In January 2011 we meet Marianne Sheridan, an awkward teenager in County Sligo, Ireland. Marianne lives with her widowed mother and her bullying older brother. The family has wealth, but lacks any sorts of loving familial relations. At school Marianne is a loner, intent on using her intelligence to get out of town. Connell Waldron is in her class at school. He was born to a teenage mother, Lorraine, who raised him on her own working as a cleaner for the Sheridans. Connell is popular and bright and wants to make his way in the world, although he is not sure how.

Connell and Marianne begin a secret, intense relationship. When they are together, they can be their true selves. Outside they are repressed by social pressures and the class divide, leading to misunderstanding and betrayal. Their on/off closeness continues when they move to Dublin to attend Trinity College as gifted students. At Trinity roles reverse - Marianne is popular; Connell is the loner. The story is presented as moments in time, jumping ahead by weeks or months to the next stage of the characters' lives. Over the next four years, the novel follows their relationship and they navigate young adulthood and figuring out where they belong.

In many respects I understand the appeal of Rooney to her multitudes of fans. Rooney writes in a sparse way, not adding extraneous dialogue or scene fillers.  The dialogue is sharp, and there is humour underpinning the exploration of some dark themes. But in many ways, the light touch did not allow for full character development, leaving the reader at a distance. Ultimately, while I liked this novel, I didn't love it and would not be in a rush to read Rooney's other work.

It is rare for me to see an adaptation and then read the book, but I am so glad I did with Normal People. Had I read the book first, I probably wouldn't have bothered with the show.  

The series works because the two leads (Mescal and Edgar-Jones) are excellent in their roles and compelling together. The adaptation is faithful to the book (Rooney was a writer on the show), and in some respects television is a better medium for this story. It was filmed on location in Sligo and at Trinity College Dublin.

Big Day Out

I have been longing to read Winifred Watson's Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (1938) for ages. I specifically wanted the beautiful version published by Persephone Classics, with its delightful illustrations by Mary Thomson, but I had great difficulty finding a copy in Australia and the import costs were horrific. So when my husband messaged me from London, standing outside Foyles Charing Cross, asking if I wanted anything, I immediately knew just what to ask for! Twenty four hours later, this delicious volume was in my hands! All I needed was to brew a cup of tea, and curl up with this book to satisfy my long-held reading desire.

The story takes place over a single day in the life of Guinevere Pettigrew, a down-on-her-luck governess in her forties. She is about to be evicted from the room she rents, and desperately needs a new job. Miss Pettigrew is sent by her employment agency for an interview as a governess, but is mistakenly sent to the home of Miss Delysia LaFosse, a young, glamorous socialite. From the moment Miss LaFosse opens the door, Miss Pettigrew is whisked away into a life she had previously only imagined from her weekly visits to the movies. 

Miss LaFosse has a problem with men. Specifically, she is irresistible to them but chooses unwisely. She calls on Miss Pettigrew to assist her in managing her lovers Phil, Nick and Michael.  Quick witted, Miss Pettigrew is able to intervene, pretending to be an old friend of Miss LaFosse, and swiftly dispatches the men. She also plays matchmaker, helping Miss LaFosse to see what she wants from a lover to help her choose more wisely.

She also assists Edythe Dubarry, Miss LaFosse's friend, and is given a glamorous makeover, a gown and jewels to help Miss Pettigrew fit in with the vibrant young people she will be spending the evening at the club with. She hardly recognises herself, and has to regularly look in the mirror to seek reassurance that she belongs.

Over the course of the day, Miss Pettigrew's transformation is more than just a make over. She blossoms from a naive spinster to a beloved confidante, finally feeling worthy of friendship and love for the first time in her life. She observes the carefree young people around her, realising how much of her life she has missed. She experiences the delight of cocktails and decadent desserts, and the attentions of a man.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a remarkable novel, which I am so glad to have read. Modern readers will find it jarring to read passages that are casually sexist, racist and antisemitic, but it was written in 1938. The novel is intended to be light-hearted, and I found myself laughing aloud at this Cinderella story. Highly recommend this for anyone wanting to escape to another person's life for a day. It is on the list of 1001 Books people should read before they die, and was published by Persephone as part of their reprints of neglected books by women writers.