In this collection of short stories, the characters are exhilarated and bewildered by the relentless demands of overpowering emotion, finding themselves defenceless against its ultimately wrecking power. Eilis Ni Dhuibhne has contributed to the anthology "The Blackstaff Book of Short Stories".
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An ancient Irish folktale surrounds the stories in Eilis Ni Dhuibhne's collection The Inland Ice; each story is followed by an excerpt from a tale about a young woman who must pursue her enchanted husband through the wilderness in order to change him back to human form. After reading a few of Dhuibhne's stories, it becomes clear that the unfortunate young woman has a lot in common with her more modern counterparts. What is the price of passion, the author asks, and what is its price? In these stories, passion is often a substitute for something else. Fourteen-year-old Lily, the protagonist of "Lili Marlene," accepts the pathetic pawings of a coworker in lieu of the affection she never received at home; in "Spool of Thread," passion is a lure the character uses to attract the women he eventually murders. In all of Dhuibhne's tales, passion is a treacherous emotion--one that leads its victims to heartache, though it can also make those who survive it stronger and wiser in the end. By the conclusion of "Lili Marlene," Lilly--now a middle-aged woman, has found contentment precisely because she has vanquished passion. But a life without ardor does not necessarily mean one without love: when at last the young woman in the folktale catches her magical husband and changes him back, she finds that she has tired of passion--and of the unhappiness it brings her--and leaves him for a quiet, happy life with a farmer from her own country. The characters in The Inland Ice would probably agree with her decision.
Review
Two Cheers for Marriage could be the title of this ultimately mellow, merry book. -- The New York Times Book Review, Suzanne Ruta
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Extrordinary Find -- Brilliant Short Stories,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Inland Ice and Other Stories (Paperback)
This is an extraordinary collection of stories around thems of love and loss. Rich in emotional and social detail, the stories are rooted in contemporary Irish life but have a power that transcends the specifics of locale. Ni Dhuibhne's great compassion lights the stories, but never drifts toward sentimentality or blunts her dark, incisive wit. The characters range from unschooled country girls to men and women of great sophistication, all beautifully an dopen-heartedly observed. There's an additional treat : Ni Dhuibhne's interpretation of an ancient Irish folktale unfolds in short tantalizing episodes which punctuate the other stories. Hers is a truly unique voice. The stories are riveting.
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