Long Island by Colm Tóibín (Scribner, May 7), picked by bookseller, Leslie
Long Island tells the story of Eilis Fiorello, nee Lacey. Colm Tóibín first wrote about Eilis in his terrific novel Brooklyn, published in 2009. Eilis is now living in Long Island with her family – husband Tony and teenage children Larry and Rosella. When a stranger comes to Eilis’s door to tell her that he will be depositing a baby that Tony has fathered with the stranger’s wife while working as a plumber in their house, Eilis decides to handle the matter in a very straightforward way. She tells her children about it. She then informs Tony that she’ll be going back to Ireland for her mother’s birthday because she doesn’t want to be home when the baby is delivered. Eilis tells Tony that this has nothing to do with her and he should handle the situation.
While reading this book, I could feel the suffocation that Eilis must have felt in her marriage and in her house, with Tony’s brothers and Italian mother always in everybody’s business. Tony’s mother believes her sons can do no wrong. I found her to be most annoying and irritating.
Eilis hasn’t been back to Ireland since she left as a young woman and made a life with Tony. Once there, she lives in her mother’s house and rekindles relationships from her past. There is so much that is not said in this book. For one, I could sense that Eilis asked herself – What do I want? How do I want to live? I kept asking myself – What will Eilis do? She yearns for love.
As Long Island progressed, I came to love Eilis more and more, and her happiness became so important to me. Then I wondered – what is it she is seeking? Is it happiness, purpose or something else. Colm Tóibín’s intimate story is captivating.
~ Leslie