Author: Seamus Deane
1996, Knopf
Best ebook deal: Not available
Filed under Literary
| C4 Ratings.....out of | 10 |
|---|---|
| Language..... | 7 |
| Entertainment..... | 7 |
| Depth..... | 6 |
Filled with lyricism and suspense, Reading in the Dark moves like a memoir but builds like a mystery. At times, the narrator’s reminiscences veer dangerously towards the sentimental or the saccharine, always to be redeemed through the originality of the details and an impending sense of conspiracy. This book abounds with shadows and ghosts, and no character, no matter how innocent he or she might seem, passes through its pages without leaving behind a few clues.
It’s the story of a boy growing up in post-war Northern Ireland, learning the secrets of his country, his faith, and his family. He has two uncles, one on his father’s side, one on his mother’s, both reported to have fled to Chicago for different reasons. His father’s brother is rumored to be a police informant who escaped the retribution of the IRA; his mother’s brother-in-law is a known deadbeat father who abandoned his wife and daughter for a new life in America. The truth entangles multiple generations on both sides of the family and forces the narrator into a position of torn loyalty between father and mother.
The narrative unfolds slowly, from the narrator’s childhood to his early days at university, and while the pace can sometimes make it difficult to keep track of all the plot elements, it is also the novel’s best twist on the mystery genre. The narrator is not some stock detective character; he’s hardly even the same person from the beginning of the book to the end. The dimensions of the mystery evolve equally through the revelation of information as through the changing perspective of the narrator as he ages. Beginning with the simple and dangerous curiosity of a child, the narrator develops a sense of responsibility towards his own history and a sacramental respect for secrets.
Written in short, seemingly self-contained sections, Reading in the Dark is a great book for commuting and right before bed. It’s easy to dip into and emerge from without feeling like you’re breaking things off in the middle. There are no cliffhanger endings. The suspense builds slowly and lasts into the narrative’s final moments, moments filled more with wonder than shock, moments that will make this book worth thinking about long after its resolution.
Books you might also like: Liars and Saints by Maile Meloy, A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle, and The Chaneysville Incident by David Bradley
