The Walk by Emma Marns
‘The two girls sat in the back of the car, their destination unknown and their crimes worse than murder.’
In November 1979, Ailbe and Maire disappear from their rural village in Ireland, never to return. Pregnant out of wedlock, they are now outcasts from society.
Genre: Historical fiction / Literary fiction / Contemporary
Publisher: Cranthorpe Millner Publishers
Believing they will at least have each other, the girls are devastated when Ailbe is dumped at the gates of a place known only as ‘Bessborough’, whilst Maire is forced to continue on to Dublin, to be cared for by the relatives of her married lover.
What follows is an enduring tale of family, love, friendship, secrecy, self-sacrifice and the extraordinary endurance of women in the most appalling of circumstances.
My Review
This was heartbreaking. And the worst part is that while the story of best friends Maire and Ailbe is fictional, this happened in Ireland over many decades. Teenage girls who became pregnant out of wedlock – even if they were raped like Ailbe – were sent away to places like Bessborough, where they would give birth to their babies and then forced to hand them over to a good Catholic couple, who would often take them to another country. Sometimes the mothers didn’t even see their babies, but at Bessborough they had to feed and care for them, often until they were toddlers, and then give them away, the babies crying for their Ma.
I was taught by the nuns at our local Convent School, and while they were strict, they weren’t evil like ‘Sister’ at Bessborough. The pregnant girls had to endure the pain of labour and loss as punishment for their terrible ‘sin’. If they had murdered someone, they would probably have been treated better. They were dangerously ignored, sometimes resulting in the death of mother or baby, or even both. The bodies were buried without recognition. Anyone who has seen the film Philomena with Judi Dench will understand what I’m talking about.
Nineteen-year-old Maire was in love with Fionn, not knowing that he was already married with two young children. He arranges a car to take her to Dublin to stay with his Aunt Bridget, a trained midwife, who will keep her safe and deliver the baby. Poor Maire thinks Fionn is then going to come for her and marry her.
In the meantime, Ailbe travels in the car with her, but instead of carrying on together, Ailbe is dumped at the gates of Bessborough and her nightmare begins. When Maire finds out about Fionn, she is heartbroken, but Bridget takes good care of her and loves her like a daughter. While it’s a terrible story, it doesn’t compare to that of Ailbe and the others, who must suffer every kind of punishment and indignity.
It’s a wonderful book, but be prepared to be shocked and saddened.
On another note, if I ever mention something being expensive, my brother always says ‘you can’t take it with you’. My Irish friend told me that in Ireland they say ‘there are no pockets in a shroud’. In The Walk, Bridget tells Maire ‘what am I going to do with it, have pockets sewn into my shroud?’ I had to have a little chuckle.
Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of #TheWalk blog tour
About the Author
I always wanted to be a writer, and when studying Heaney and Friel at A-Level and then James Joyce at university, I felt an unexplainable pull towards Ireland and the stories I suspected were there! After completing my undergraduate degree at UEA (it’s wonderful) and an NCTJ qualification in Sports Journalism, I enjoyed a brief but fruitful career writing about football and other pursuits much too energetic for me in real life.
I then embarked on an M.Phil. in Irish Writing from the truly magnificent Trinity College Dublin as a mature student (27 is mature?! News to me) and it was there that I first had the idea for The Walk. It took ten months to write and two YEARS to sign a publishing contract – so if you are in the pursuit of something worthwhile right now and facing a good deal of rejection and setbacks, please don’t give up!
In my day job I work at East 15 Acting School as their administrator / doer-of-all-the-things / resident coffee-maker and friendly person, which is a joy and I love it dearly. I have a lovely husband (Bradley) and a beautiful daughter (Melody) who keeps me busy when I’m not working, writing – and definitely not sleeping.
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