Long Island, by Colm Tóibín - Ann
Long Island is an exploration of family relationships in both an Irish and Italian-American family, where Eilis is the interconnecting member, being a daughter to one and wife to Tony in another. Conflict sparks in their marriage, leading Eilis to want a spell apart, back in Ireland for her mother’s 80th birthday, along with her son and daughter. She encounters old friendships and relationships, and we’re lead to wonder, have they moved on?
This is the second book in a family saga, taking place twenty years after the first, Brooklyn, and can be read as a stand alone story. If you like tales about the lives and doings of interconnecting families over time, this is the book for you. I liked the variety of characters and certainly found both the Italian-American and Irish family dynamics very interesting. The complexities of these relationships was intriguing, some using dirty tricks to get what they wanted, and you were kept guessing as to where the story was going. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and read it in two evenings!
Ann
