The Stolen Child
Ratings2
Average rating5
15
Ratings2
Average rating5
From the author of the critically acclaimed The Mermaids Singing comes a haunting, luminous novel set on an enchanted island off the west coast of Ireland where magic, faith, and superstition pervade the inhabitants’ lives and tangled relationships—perfect for fans of Eowyn Ivey, Sarah Waters, and Angela Carter. May 1959. From one side of St. Brigid’s Island, the mountains of Connemara can be glimpsed on the distant mainland; from the other, the Atlantic stretches as far as the eye can see. This remote settlement, without electricity or even a harbor, has scarcely altered since its namesake saint set up a convent of stone huts centuries ago. Those who live there, including sisters Rose and Emer, are hardy and resourceful, dependent on the sea and each other for survival. Despite the island’s natural beauty, it is a place that people move away from, not to—until an outspoken American, also named Brigid, arrives to claim her late uncle’s cottage. Brigid has come for more than an inheritance. She’s seeking a secret holy well that’s rumored to grant miracles. Emer, as scarred and wary as Rose is friendly and beautiful, has good reason to believe in inexplicable powers. Despite her own strange abilities—or perhaps because of them—Emer fears that she won’t be able to save her young son, Niall, from a growing threat. Yet Brigid has a gift too, even more remarkable than Emer’s. As months pass and Brigid carves out a place on the island and in the sisters’ lives, a complicated web of betrayal, fear, and desire culminates in one shocking night that will change the island, and its inhabitants, forever. Steeped in Irish history and lore, The Stolen Child is a mesmerizing descent into old world beliefs, and a captivating exploration of desire, myth, motherhood, and love in all its forms. “Steeped in dark Irish mythology, The Stolen Child is a piercing exploration of regret and desire, longing and love. It is a gorgeously written, inventive, and compelling novel.”—Ayelet Waldman Kirkus Most Addictive Books of 2017
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... I won???t say anything further in order to not give away spoilers, but suffice to say that Emer???s longing for that deep, intimate connection with another person ??? in other words, her desire for an anam cara ??? quickly becomes a chain on the person she decides to associate that term with. Though the term is meant to be one of affection, of closeness and trust, it is also incredibly easy to take those ideas to dangerous extremes and transform them into a form of abuse ??? not physical, perhaps, but certainly emotional.
The idea of desire that can turn dark and dangerous, that can turn into a chokehold, is another key theme in the novel. In Emer???s storyline, her desire for connection ??? filial, platonic, romantic ??? does not quite turn into an obsession, but it does become a dark, dangerous thing that, in a crucial moment in the plot, becomes ruinous. The same kind of desire appears in Brigid???s storyline; though the object of her desire is different from Emer???s, in some ways the kind of connection she desires is no different ??? and no less potentially dark and destructive.
Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-Gj
