[Trim] Haven by Emma Donoghue - 2 stars

[Heather Reads Books]

I am striking out with historical fiction lately. Is this a "it's not you, it's me" thing? I'm starting to wonder.

I was interested in this book because of Skellig Michael. I was familiar with the islands off the coast of Ireland and how they were an early monastic site. When I found out this book was a imagined telling of the settling of the island, I thought it would be a fascinating historical tale.

I was incorrect.

It is boring and depressing. The writing is spare and felt too modern for the era. There are really only three characters, and they're all dumb as dirt. I say this without glee. I wanted to like them, but my god they were just so stupid. Artt is a self-deluded religious zealot, Trian is a clueless teenager, and Cormac should be old enough to know better, but apparently was brain damaged so I guess that explains why he didn't clock Artt's bullshit from the jump. It took 230 pages for Cormac to utter the thing I thought about 20 pages in: this guy is a lunatic who's going to get us all killed. Instead, Haven becomes an endless slog of Artt making a bonkers proclamation that will almost certainly result in their demises, and Trian and Cormac both nod along obediently, because they need to trust in God's will or whatever. Then we watch them suffer for another 50 pages.

I truly believe this novel does a disservice to early followers of Christianity as well as people living in 7th century Ireland. Undoubtedly life was very hard back then and in order to survive you had to be smart and practical. That historically Skellig Michael sustained any kind of human inhabitation is a feat of human innovation and ingenuity. It's that story I wanted to read, not three bumbling morons making life more miserable for each other. (Donoghue even cops to this in her author's note, saying that the historical monks were "more pragmatic than my invented characters." Making me wonder: why couldn't I read about them instead?)

I guess, in some ways, this novel is a perfect metaphor for the COVID-19 pandemic (the author admits she wrote it while in various lockdowns): everything is drawn out and pointless, we are staring death right in the face, and the people in charge are making it worse for everyone by being idiots. But I read novels to escape reality. Trian and Cormac were not in covid lockdown. Why they didn't just boot Artt off a cliff 50 pages in knowing he couldn't swim and take the boat back to the mainland is completely beyond me. They could have just told the Abbot that Artt met and unfortunate end. Who else would know? It's not like he was live-tweeting his "living off the grid" experiment. (I feel another rant about modern attitudes and frameworks being imposed by authors on characters in historical fiction coming on, but I just did that in my review for The Marriage Portrait, so I'll refrain.)

This is my first book by Emma Donoghue, and I know she's well-respected, but I suspect it might be my last. (Her dig at Star Wars fans in the author's note was tasteless, relatedly, and did her no favors with me.)

[Booknblues]

I loved this book as well as Marriage Portrait.

You are of course right about all you have written. I suspect however that there have been zealots through the ages who have led people and done much damage and I thought that was what it was about.

I also liked the islands starkness and the birds of the island.

I thought also it was a bit of a metaphor of how we reached the sixth extinction.

[Heather Reads Books]

Booknblues wrote: "I loved this book as well as Marriage Portrait.

You are of course right about all you have written. I suspect however that there have been zealots through the ages who have led people and done muc..."

That is certainly true re: zealots! I originally liked that angle but thought the other monks kinda just went along with Artt's nonsense too quickly and too long for me to find it all that believable. I wanted way more fighting and drama!

I did feel bad for poor Trian. I just wish he questioned his lot more than blaming himself every time. That would have been a more interesting internal journey for me.

And the setting was by far the most interesting part to me. She did a good job describing it, but I was enjoying the story so little I wondered if maybe I should just give up and read a history book about it instead.

I think maybe I need to get better at DNFing but this one was so short I just plowed on through. Oh well, next time.

[Joanne]

I don't believe it is you-I just think it is the book-here are some great HF, maybe one of them will suit you

Clara and Mr. Tiffany
Abundance
The Honest Spy
Shame and the Captives

And you do need to get better at DNF-made my world so much nicer!

[Heather Reads Books]

Joanne wrote: "I don't believe it is you-I just think it is the book-here are some great HF, maybe one of them will suit you

Clara and Mr. Tiffany
Abundance
[book:The Honest Spy|3433..."

Thank you, Joanne, I will look into these!

And you're absolutely right about DNFing. I think with the latest spate of books I've been so on the fence for most of it I kept hoping it would get better. I used to be better at deciding 50-100 pages in whether something was "clicking," but lately I've been well over halfway when I start doubting myself and by then I think I want to at least know how it ends. 😅 I'm going to try to be more disciplined with myself from here on out.

[Heather Reads Books]

I will add I think my mom misrepresented this book to me. She read it a few months ago and I mistakenly thought she said she enjoyed it 😅 she usually has pretty discerning tastes so I kept reading, thinking "it's gotta get good, my mom said she liked it." Well I talked to her today about it and she claimed she never said she liked it, just that she'd "be interested in seeing what you think of it."

So I said, "So what DID you think of it?"

Her: "It was a slog!!"

So I guess I need to keep in mind "i'll be interested in seeing what you think of it" = "I hated it but I'm too polite to say so" 🤣

[Peacejanz]

Your mom was right. It is a slog. And I have loved so many books by Donoghue. The old adage is true: You can't win them all. I just spent a couple of hours slogging through The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. Again, another author I have loved in the past. Just because I was once youthful and could run fast does not mean that I can do that now; I am almost 80 years old and must use a cane or walker. We change and so does everyone, including serious authors. I loved your insight about your mother's statement. I need to remember that, "I'll be interested in seeing what you think of it." Thanks for this review and the commentary it raised. peace, janz

[Joanne]

Heather Reads Books wrote: "I will add I think my mom misrepresented this book to me. She read it a few months ago and I mistakenly thought she said she enjoyed it 😅 she usually has pretty discerning tastes so I kept reading,..."

🤣- As a mom, I blame you for not asking he what SHE thought! LoL, I will always stick up for the mom-

If not of those HF look good to you, take a look at my HF read tag-there's over a 200 there, all rated and most reviewed.

[Heather Reads Books]

@Janz - That's a really good point, Janz. Maybe I'm just not picking these authors' best works, either. I think both books have been the followup to one they hit really "big" on - so perhaps that has something to do with it. I haven't given up on Maggie O'Farrell and perhaps I shouldn't on Donoghue either. I especially wondered about how her covid lockdown experience affected this book. I wonder if we're getting into a publishing cycle of all these authors who had to keep writing through lockdown and what their state of mind was like at the time...

@Joanne - to be fair to me, I thought I did ask her what she thought when she was reading it, and I could have sworn she said she liked it! Only today did her tune change when I pressed her on it. 😅 Sometimes I think she is afraid to express her true opinion for fear of ridicule, but once I was not having a good time with it, she felt emboldened to tell the truth. She said she didn't want to "ruin" the experience for me if I did like it, but I would have found a heads up that she found it boring valuable nonetheless.

Ah well, live and learn.