In The Forest - Edna O'Brien

[Kristel]

I read this in 2011, it is based on a real event in history set in Ireland. The story is about a man who commits a triple homicide. The story is well told but also was very controversial. It was felt by some that Ms O'Brien was capitalizing on their tragedy. She had stated that when she was taken to the forest where the murders occurred, she had to write the story.

Ms O'Brien writes with economy of style, makes the characters real, the tragedy real and the forest itself is a presence in the story.

[Amanda]

Overall I liked this book and gave it 3 stars. The way the book unravels the murderers history of abuse and how it contributed to his crimes was interesting and well executed, and the prose really contributed to a sense of impending doom that worked well when it cumulated in the murders. One thing I didn't love about the story was how it is another representation of a murderer with schizophrenia. I wasn't able to find info saying this was a factor in the real story, and I feel like the "psychotic killer" is a harmful overdone trope as people with mental illness-including psychosis- are far more likely to be the victims of violent crimes than the perpetrators. I felt that addition was unnecessary.

[Diane]

Rating: 3.5 stars


Not my favorite of her books, but still good. It is a novel based upon a true story of a triple murder in County Clare, Ireland. I understand how this was perceived as controversial, but I also understand how such an event can create inspiration in an author and the need to tell the story. Her multiple narrative focus helps the reader see the crimes and the killer from various points of view. While this doesn't justify the killer's actions, it does shed light on the events that shaped him into the person he became.

[Diane]

I have read three other books by this author which I enjoyed. In the Forest was inspired by true events and has a male protagonist. Michen O’Kane loses his mother, spins out of control and is sent to a juvenile detention center at the age of ten where abuse happens. I had such sympathy for this young boy. As Michen ages and becomes an adult I started losing interest in the story. Michen says that jail made him a man and a monster. As the story unfolds we learn that Michen has mental health issues; assuming schizophrenia since he hears voices that are not there and sees things that are not there. I don’t think the mental health portion of the story was handled well. This is my least favorite book by this author.

“It is the wood talking to him, the trees thicker now, the trees where he hid and where his mother came and found him, the spot where he kept old cushions, the mass of cover dark even in daylight.”

“Darkness is drawn to light, but light does not know it; light must absorb the darkness and therefore meet its own extinguishment.”

This is my last book by this author for the list.