February 27th, 2006
The Emigrant’s Farewell by Liam Browne
Upon hearing that the book assigned to the panel of The View last week was called The Emigrant’s Farewell, my heart sank. The title, and the fact that it’s set in Derry, steeled me for another tale of Irish gloom. Despite its central theme of grief, it is far from an addition to the Angela’s Ashes school of woe and the title is borrowed from an old song. The book starts off in the present, charting the life of Joe O’Kane, his wife Eileen and their daughter Ciara. Joe gets a job as a researcher at the local heritage centre and just when life is unfurling with possibility, his daughter dies in a horrific accident. Once united by their child, Joe and Eileen’s life together begins to drift into singular apathy. Not long after her death we are told: “Like amputees they felt the presence of what wasn’t thereâ€? and in another acute observation on the incongruity of grief, Joe wants to drape a tarpaulin over Ciara’s grave on a wet, stormy night. He confides in his father Patsy, a widower of 23 years, while Eileen retreats, emotionally and physically, moving back in to her old room at her parents’ house.
Just as we settle in to the emotional core of the couple’s story, Browne transports us to another time. Joe is given a research project on William Coppin, a fellow Derry man who lived over a century ago . and who also lost a daughter. From here, the story jumps back and forth between the aftermath of Ciara’s death and Coppin’s story. A renowned shipbuilder, he becomes embroiled in the search for missing explorer John Franklin, in one of the most interesting story devices in the book. The more Joe delves into Coppin’s story, the more he feels drawn to reconciliation and the future. Both men use the past to assuage their grief even when it “stayed constant in one placeâ€?. Browne tells us that historical records rarely reveal states of mind, and he adeptly sets about injecting emotion into Coppin’s experience.
Joe’s father Patsy, who could have been such a peripheral character, offers some of the best insight into grief in the book. The death of his wife years before has left him with an innate sense of restlessness. His life is a cycle of mini- excursions, staying in B&B’s and chats with strangers in remote little pubs. In a touching scene between father and son, he tells Joe: “Still this terrible grief comes over me and I want to cry. And part of it, is disbelief, which never leaves you.â€?
The association of other feelings . disbelief, guilt - with grief also haunt William Coppin who wants to know his daughter Weesy after she is dead. Just as Joe immerses himself in William’s story, William doggedly seeks out John Franklin’s wife, believing his dead daughter may hold the key to where her Arctic explorer husband is. Browne is careful not to labour the idea of presence and absence, particularly with his characters, choosing instead to allow the reader space to move between their stories.
The Emigrant’s Farewell is an authentic study of grief, perfectly capturing the surreal aftermath of a loved one’s death. Across time, these men are united by the loss of their daughters (as is Charles Dickens who appears in a cameo) and Browne presents his theme through evocative language and very defined settings. Ultimately this is a book about exploration; about physical expeditions and emotional quests for meaning and as first novels go, it’s a very fine debut.
The Emigrant’s Farewell is published by Bloomsbury
February 27th, 2006 at 11:35 am
Out of interest Sinead, do you get much time to read and prepare for the show?
Well done on The View by the way. Not too sure I’m all that keen on Joe Taylor. I had a run-in with him in the past.
What I want to know is why does he try to do different accents at every opportunity?
February 27th, 2006 at 11:40 am
Cheers Colm, they tell you about three weeks in advance so you’ve got a stack of time, particularly with the book.
I would avoid the play (The Grown-Ups) at all costs. Awful stuff. I’m also glad I discovered Joseph Beuys, he’s an intriguing character.
Joe is a real raconteur. In hospitality beforehand he told us one anecdote after another (and with lots of accents).
Ooo tell me more about your run in…
February 27th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
Comments work and the new template is quite nice. Plus and plus!
February 27th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
You’ve convinced me.
February 27th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
Sinead,
I agree that The Grown Ups is just dreadful. I was amazed at how constructive you and the other reviewers managed to be with your criticism. I came out of that play genuinely convinced I could have written better myself. It was like being subjected to something written by a teenager.
It was so disappointing because the publicity blurb made me thing that I might see my life reflected on stage. Instead, there was just this lazy condemnation of life in Dublin these days - without any attempt to actually convince us that Dublin is a terrible place to live and that we are all awful people. I quite like it here…
Did anyone see Camille O’Sullivan at the Olympia last night? I think it was the best performance I have seen in a long time, possibly ever. She made my heart soar…she was so joyful and full of life, not to mention a beautiful singer.
February 28th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
The book sounds great. I must admit I kind of like the gloomy stuff too though, so long as there are no razor blades about!
I’m glad you guys didn’t give the writer of Grown-Ups a real hammering because he’s pretty new to the game. Having said this I’ll be taking your advice and staying well clear.
February 28th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
Patry and JG - I would definitely recommend the book. Anyone would be forgiven for thinking that apart from uber high-profile writers like McGahern, Banville and even Colm Toibin, that the only writing coming out of Ireland is a tsunami of chicklit.
Browne puts me in mind of a couple of other writers, who in the last couple of years have emerged as some of the new hopes of Irish writing - writers like Gerard Donovan and William Wall (whosr book This is the Country was long-listed for last year’s Booker).
As for The Grown-ups , on paper it sounded like exactly the kind of play I wanted to see - a look at how new Ireland, free of religion and wallowing in money is more emotionally bankrupt than ever before. Sadly it didn’t do that and I think I was harder on it than the other two.
JG, I assumed it was a novice writer but one of my fellow panellists told me that this is Nick Kelly’s 7th play, and I really expected more from someone with Gerry Stembridge’s experience. He directed one of the best Irish plays I’ve ever seen, Mark O’Rowe’s Made in China a few years back at The Peacock.
As for Camille O’Sullivan, I only met her briefly but on watching the show, her performance of God is in the House (one of my favourite Nick Cave songs in recent years) was stunning.
June 6th, 2006 at 6:54 pm
Dear Sinead,
I live in Trieste, Italy, and I have just finished reading “The Emigrant’s Farewell”. I agree with you, it is a very compelling reading. I was much taken by the loving descriptions of Derry. I think the city deserves good writers such as Liam Browne.
All the best from Trieste
Elisabetta d’Erme
September 3rd, 2006 at 1:08 am
I have just read the book in 2 days. Almost didn’t put it down! Your review perfectly encapsulates the gripping story of the two bereaved fathers separated by a century and a half. My ex-wife hails from Armagh city and she has a brother who lived (or lives) and taught school in ‘Derry. So I have heard a little of the area. I have never been to the UK and live in Brisbane, Australia.The book graphically presented the dramatic change from a tidal backwater village with a fledgeling shipbuilding business to a modern city with all of the things which we hate about progress, as well as the humanity of it’s occupants.
I’m not one who generally reads modern Irish writers. Maybe because I have been conditioned to the effects the “troubles” have on the psyche of many of those who live in the north, and expect them to dwell too long on morbidity, pain and suffering.
This is one author I have added to my list and look forward to reading more. Also, Sinead I will now add your blog to my favorites and read some more of your reviews.