Kate and I listened to this book on our road trip to MI and enjoyed the story, but have to warn that it starts slow - I really wondered what the point was for a large part of the opening and we were disappointed in the ending. Now, despite those caveats, we liked the story and its unique pace.
An asylum for the insane is going to be closed and the pressures of the Irish government is making everyone take a second look at the patients and their conditions. Should they be set free (saves money) or remain committed?
One patient is unusual - she is 100 years old - and her story is confusing (because it is complex, perhaps she is insane, or maybe it is because she is 100) and the circumstances of her admittance is lost in history. So the doctor who does the investigation gets caught up in the mysteries of her life - and uncovers lots of mysteries that need to be interpreted and sorted out.
The Priest is not a counselor - he becomes a moral dictator and judge who finds it easy to condemn others, but not to see his own weaknesses. This book moves through the Irish revolution, it contains murders and annulments, rejection and abandonment.
There is a secret that begins to appear to the reader, but not to the characters and it becomes agonizing to wait for the revelation to strike. Roseanne, the centenarian, is writing a history of her life, Dr. Green is researching her life and the reader must sort out the truth between memory and research. It all flows together as we move to the point where we expect the revelation to be acted on...
I cannot spoil it. But I also want to add that the book captures the Irish accent, the language idiosyncrasies, the tragedies of the revolution and the evolution of the country. There is a lot to talk about and think about in the book.
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