Redemption Falls by Joseph O'Connor
9/10
Not sure I could give full marks to a book that made me feel so uncomfortable in parts - though it could be argued that the job of good literature is to prod and poke people out of their complacency. The start of this book is one of the most harrowing chapters I have ever read.
John Wayne movies, Bonanza, The High Chaparral, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - these were my previous sources of knowledge about the pioneering, early days of America. Now Redemption Falls has changed all that - a much harsher, realistic view of what it was like to travel, live, survive (or not) in the days before towns had names and people struggled to make a living. The country was trying to make itself whole and habitable after the Civil War. People had a closeness to their European roots.
This is a story about a particular Irishman and the people around him Do we like him? Has he got principles? Is he vain and arrogant? Is he kind and brave? And what about the boy he takes under his wing? How can we like him? Do we care if he survives?
And what about the women associated with James O'Keeffe and young Jeddo? Can we understand and empathise with them?
There is another chapter in this book that is almost unbearably harrowing. Joseph O'Connor puts a suggestion in your mind of something terrible but unspoken - so your mind produces horrible things you didn't know that your mind could contain. It is a skilled author who can make you aware of your own potential for evil and cruel thoughts.
O'Connor is also skilled because he uses different media to construct the narrative. It is like a scrapbook, and sometimes you have to add the clues together to see the full picture.
There is humanity in this book, and a deeper understanding of what America may have been through in its history. I think people should read it. But like Star of the Sea and The Salesman don't expect an easy ride.
9/10
Not sure I could give full marks to a book that made me feel so uncomfortable in parts - though it could be argued that the job of good literature is to prod and poke people out of their complacency. The start of this book is one of the most harrowing chapters I have ever read.
John Wayne movies, Bonanza, The High Chaparral, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - these were my previous sources of knowledge about the pioneering, early days of America. Now Redemption Falls has changed all that - a much harsher, realistic view of what it was like to travel, live, survive (or not) in the days before towns had names and people struggled to make a living. The country was trying to make itself whole and habitable after the Civil War. People had a closeness to their European roots.
This is a story about a particular Irishman and the people around him Do we like him? Has he got principles? Is he vain and arrogant? Is he kind and brave? And what about the boy he takes under his wing? How can we like him? Do we care if he survives?
And what about the women associated with James O'Keeffe and young Jeddo? Can we understand and empathise with them?
There is another chapter in this book that is almost unbearably harrowing. Joseph O'Connor puts a suggestion in your mind of something terrible but unspoken - so your mind produces horrible things you didn't know that your mind could contain. It is a skilled author who can make you aware of your own potential for evil and cruel thoughts.
O'Connor is also skilled because he uses different media to construct the narrative. It is like a scrapbook, and sometimes you have to add the clues together to see the full picture.
There is humanity in this book, and a deeper understanding of what America may have been through in its history. I think people should read it. But like Star of the Sea and The Salesman don't expect an easy ride.
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