314 pages
English language
Published July 15, 2003 by Faber.
"Joe and Kate Ruttledge, have come to rural Ireland from London in search of a different life. In passages of beauty and truth, the drama of a year in their lives and those of the memorable characters that move about them unfolds through action, the rituals of work, religious observances and play. By the novel's close we feel that we have been introduced, with deceptive simplicity, to a complete representation of existence - an enclosed world has been transformed into an Everywhere"--Cover.
Capturing the slowed pace; of characters' interaction in the 'simple life' lived. The seething undercurrents and ultimately 'a kindness of understanding'. The human construct.
Earthy storytelling from a master craftsperson, McGahern creates a world on the pages of this book. The story takes place over one year in the countryside in Leitrim, with little to note in the way of major events. In place of story is repetition (of the seasons, the characters' behaviours, the statements). The timeline is difficult to reason out - events that make sense any time in the past 100 years seem to happen simultaneously, adding to the dreamlike repetitiousness. The real drive is in how the characters are crafted and moulded into living things, and how this places you as a reader inside the story. Brilliant.
