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On Canaan's Side
2023: Other Books
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On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry - 4 stars (Subdue)
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I loved this book - it's in my top 10 favourites of all time. I was so happy when I saw it on your Subdue shelf.
I really enjoy Sebastian Barry's writing - I need to read more of his back catalogue.
Poignant story of Lilly Bere, an eighty-nine-year-old Irish woman, looking back on her life after the death of her cherished grandson. She now lives on Long Island, but grew up in Ireland, and migrated to the US after the first World War. She and her first love were forced to flee when he was being pursued by the IRA. In the US, they moved from place to place, fearing they were still being hunted. Lilly narrates her story, relating the major events of her life.
Lilly has suffered many tragedies and there is an undercurrent of grief throughout the narrative. Her personal hardships are set against a backdrop of the tumultuous events of the twentieth century. It is structured over the course of seventeen days after her grandson dies. It is fluidly and lyrically written. It a deep character study, slow in developing, and for people who enjoy quiet and reflective stories. Themes include memory, betrayal, loneliness, loss, and forgiveness.
"To remember sometimes is a great sorrow, but when the remembering has been done, there comes afterwards a very curious peacefulness. Because you have planted your flag on the summit of the sorrow. You have climbed it."