We Are Not Ourselves in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Jan 26, 2015 Shannon rated it liked it

While beautifully written, this book contains a vein of sadness running through it that left me aching. It's scope is admirable - and relatable. The tale of Eileen Leary starts in her childhood in NYC in the 50s and follows her through marriage, motherhood and a successful career. I appreciated a lot about this book, it was difficult to overlook the fact that I simply did not like Eileen.

I don't think she's meant to be unlikable - and perhaps you wouldn't find her so. But her constant striving f ...more

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Mar 14, 2015 Felicia rated it it was ok

Shelves: incomplete, 2015

I gave it 2 stars because it is well written. However, I keep trudging through this book and grow to dislike Eileen more and more. Ed isn't the man Eileen makes him out to be in her head. Obviously they should have had a discussion about goals and expectations. As smart and goal driven as Thomas makes her out to be I find the placating of Ed's needs and goals over her own to not line up with the Eileen from Part 1. And the racism just makes me cringe. And it's not even the kind where a person ad ...more

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Aug 14, 2014 Carly Thompson rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014, literary-fiction

Slice of life literary fiction. Thomas's first novel follows the life of Eileen Tumulty Leary from her childhood in Queens, NY to her early widowhood. The book opens in the 1951, Eileen is 10 years old and the only child of Irish immigrant parents. The family is working class and both of her parents have problems with alcohol. Eileen takes care of her parents from an early age and while this makes her a dedicated work it also inspires her dream of leaving the city behind and one day owning a bea Slice of life literary fiction. Thomas's first novel follows the life of Eileen Tumulty Leary from her childhood in Queens, NY to her early widowhood. The book opens in the 1951, Eileen is 10 years old and the only child of Irish immigrant parents. The family is working class and both of her parents have problems with alcohol. Eileen takes care of her parents from an early age and while this makes her a dedicated work it also inspires her dream of leaving the city behind and one day owning a beautiful house in the suburbs. She marries Ed Leary, a fellow Irish American of working class parents, and they settle into married life in Jackson Heights. Ed is a scientist and professor but he doesn't have any greater ambitions that teaching at community college and working on government research grants. After several years of childlessness, the Learys have a son in their late 30s which makes Eileen yearn even more for luxury in the suburbs. After Ed's initial resistence, the Learys move to Bronxville in the early 1990s. Shortly afterwards, Ed is diagnosed with early Alzheimer's and begins a sad decline.

Initially I wasn't very impressed with the novel but after about a third of the way through, I couldn't wait to keep reading. Thomas's style is very similar to Alice McDermott (in fact the beginning was too similar for me) or Jonathan Franzen and his book will appeal to readers who enjoy those authors. The sense of place (Jackson Heights, Bronxville) is masterful and the prose is simple, direct and moving. The slow decline of Ed from Alzheimer's and Eileen's efforts to care for her husband are heartbreaking. The story is told from the third person perspectives of both Eileen and her son, Connell, and it is through the two people who love him the most that the reader discovers the character of Ed.

At slightly over 600 pages, this is a long novel; the first part seemed to drag a bit and there could have been some judicious editing. The chapters are relatively short and the pacing never stagnates. The characters are realistic and Eileen is a tough, resilient every woman while still being a very specific individual. I found the character of Connell petulant and self-involved (which was the point) and could have done with less time spent with him. This book has gotten a lot of buzz and I can envision it becoming a modest hit. ...more

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Apr 14, 2015 Rosemary added it

Though the subject matter is often emotionally difficult, Thomas kept me reading with his elegant prose and gift for details. Eileen, Ed and Connell are characters I will not soon forget. I admit the book was tedious at times but I was connected enough to the characters to keep on going. If you have a loved one (spoiler) with Alzheimer's, it will take courage to read this book; but whether or not you face this cruel disease, the book is worth the read. ...more

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