The Wig My Father Wore [Paperback]

Anne Enright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 2001

The second novel to be published in America by widely acclaimed Irish author Anne Enright, The Wig My Father Wore is a spry, hilarious novel about parents, love, religion, and the absurdities of them all. Grace is a young Dubliner who works on a television show called Love Quiz. Her father is going benignly senile, but her life otherwise seems fairly solid. When Stephen arrives on her doorstep, however, Grace has no idea what she's in for. Stephen explains that he is an angel, a former bridge builder who committed suicide in 1934. He has been sent back to earth (as all suicides are) to guide lost souls. Grace does not take this personally at first, but eventually she has to face the idea that things are not so easy, and that her greatest intimacy is with this supernatural creature. As Grace begins to take stock of her life and the prospect of caring enough about something to fight for it, The Wig My Father Wore takes us on a moving, surreal romp through Catholicism, parents, and the reclamation of love from the twin modern evils of cynicism and the detritus of pop culture.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Funny, poignant, and surreal, Irish writer Enright's first novel, though the second to be published in the U.S. after What Are You Like? [BKL Ag 00], tells the story of an angel's visitation to Grace, an unconventional young Dublin woman. Stephan, the angel, was an ordinary man who committed suicide and is now growing his wings by "setting despair to rights." Grace works for a television program called The Love Quiz, which is as tawdry as one might imagine, with a crew as lovingly close and destructive as any dysfunctional family, and her actual family is just as ordinary and bizarre. Curiously, Grace's father, who suffers from Alzheimer's, speaks with the most wisdom, and his wig is treated like a member of the family. Enright explores love, faith, and familial relationships in a way never before seen, combining chaos with insights that ring true in a novel that won't engage everyone but that will reward those bold enough to stick with it. Danise Hoover
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (October 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802138322
• ISBN-13: 978-0802138323
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #912,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Strange, But Hilarious Irish Story, February 27, 2002

By 

shoutgrace "savedbyhisgrace" (Charleston, WV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wig My Father Wore (Paperback)

I found this book very surreal and often times strange. It starts out with Stephen the angel showing up on Grace's doorstep. At times I'd get lost going back and forth from Grace's home life and her trying to accustom to Stephen's presence. Throwing herself into her job in TV broadcasting at a weekly program called the LoveQuiz. Her father is going senile with Alzheimer's. Looking at Grace, she's pretty much has a good solid life.

Through most of her cynical views. She realizes she must take hold of her life and all of it's absurd turns. With Stephen's appearance he explains to Grace he (a former bridge builder who committed suicide) came back to earth to guide lost souls. Soon they both establish a household together. Visits to her parents house and the memories and pictures that are hidden from view. Reminds Grace that her father who she always knew wore a wig. From the time of her parents meeting and the later stuff. All the family reminscences. The time they first got an Aerial. The first time they got a TV. The first night viewing in 1969 with a memorable list of Irish TV programs. Do these bring back memories? Such as, Steady As She Go-Goes (on the night they landed on the moon), Apollo 11, The Riordians on Wednesday night.

The ending is subtle and fluid like the milk she trails on the road to her house. Describes it like making love or dying. Nothing really dies. To a woman it make's sense. Just as the sky is blue. Just imagine that unpredictable revelation like falling in love. Through the complex picture of family, religion, sex, love and redemption is a glowing wit and a vibrant flavor like the blue pattern of a TV screen. This book has everything from parents and love to religion and the weird oddities of life. The author probes every angle with precision. And with a penchant for a zoom lens to focus on the fluid and clever situations. I think it was quite an entertaining and a fun read.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wierd but wonderful in places, January 29, 2002

By A Customer

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This review is from: The Wig My Father Wore (Paperback)

The set-up for the plot was excellent and I loved the ending of the book but the middle was a muddle. Still, the author has a very interesting way of looking at the world and capturing it in words.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I have no idea what's going on, February 15, 2009

By 

Anne McDonald - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wig My Father Wore (Paperback)

This novel makes no sense. Half of it is gibberish. The other half is just not worth reading. Waste of time.