Eilis Lacey, wife, mother, and bookkeeper, is having a normal day in her house on Long Island. She lives with her family on a cul-de-sac in Lindenhurst, in one of four houses that her husband's family owns, dad and mom in one and his brothers and their wives in the others. A man with an Irish accent comes to her door and tells her that her husband, Tony, a plumber, got his wife pregnant, and when the baby comes, he's giving it to Tony. She also finds out that the whole family knows this and is on board with raising the baby. She absolutely isn't and decides to go back to Ireland for her mother's 80th birthday to give her time to figure the whole thing out. The plan is for her to go a few weeks ahead, followed by her son and daughter before the party. Meanwhile, her best friend Nancy, now a widow, has been seeing Jim Farrell who never married after Eilis left Ireland 20 years ago. They have a secret "understanding" that they would marry one day. When Eilis comes back, she has a prickly reunion with her mother and the tight town of Enniscorthy, where everyone has known everyone's business since they were born. Nonetheless, Eilis manages to start an affair with Jim, which Nancy finds out about and takes drastic measures. How will Eilis straighten her life out this time?
I read Long Island before I read Brooklyn-that was a mistake. A brief synopsis of Brooklyn for those who haven't read the book or watched the movie: Eilis Lacey lives with her mother and sister Rose in Enniscorthy, County Wexford. Rose, a dynamic young businesswoman has decided not to marry, but instead, takes care of her mother. Eilis can't get a job, and her mother and the parish decide that she'll have a better life in New York. A priest in Brooklyn finds her a job, lodging, and enrolls her in a two-year business course at Brooklyn College . She meets a young Italian plumber named Tony at an Irish parish dance. They date and he is very respectful toward her as the relationship progresses. When Rose dies, she returns to Ireland to visit her grave, but not before she and Tony secretly marry. She tells no one in Ireland of her marriage, leaving the townspeople with the idea that she has come back to stay.
Eilis is an interesting subject. She seems to have no will of her own, and just meanders through life-that's why she gets into these conflicts. Toibin basically describes his characters and tells what they are doing almost in a journalistic manner and the reader has to make decisions about why the characters behave as they do. The book brings up very discussable themes; wouldn't it be nice to live two simultaneous but completely different lives? Can you go home again? If you do return, will you understand that life isn't static and you must deal with change?
After reading the first two novels, I see that the publishers are referring to these books now as the Eilis Lacey series and Long Island certainly leaves the reader wondering when the next book will emerge and how Eilis resolves her dilemmas-I hope we don't have too long to wait.
Reviewed by Donna Ballard
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