The Sigla Blog

As mentioned in this post, Donogh is still calling on bloggers to post some (short) reviews of books they enjoyed in 2006. Anyone who’d like to take part should post a review on their blog and include the technorati tag at the bottom of this post. More details here:

The Emigrant’s Farewell by Liam Browne

Irish literature is well stocked with tales of poverty and departure, but despite its central theme of grief, The Emigrant’s Farewell is far from an addition to the Angela’s Ashes school of woe. Set in Derry, the book begins with the present day life of Joe, who is married to Eileen and they have a daughter, Ciara. When Ciara dies in an accident, a chasmic gulf widens between the couple and Joe immerses himself in his job as a researcher at the local heritage centre. Both retreat emotionally and physically from each other and “like amputees they felt the presence of what wasn’t thereâ€?. Struggling with grief, Joe is given a research project on William Coppin, a Derry shipbuilder who lived over a century ago . and who also lost a daughter. From here, the story alternates between the aftermath of Ciara’s death and Coppin’s story. The more Joe delves into a stranger’s story, the more he feels drawn to reconciliation and the future. 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 2006)

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