What struck me as a reader first off is the high quality of writing in this story of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. MJ Neary has accomplished the very difficult challenge of telling a story reflective of actual history and keeping basic facts and events accurately, at the same time using her experienced writing skills to tell this story. Brendan Malone is the father figure strong and determined to free Ireland from Great Britain, and commands the center spotlight. My reaction, however, is that his sons maintain at least equally the central story. Dylan, Brendan's older son, chooses to follow his father's goal and becomes active with the IRB. The younger son, whose character is developed in sharp contrast to his brother's, reflects the academic and non-partisan attitude that will separate him from his family. With such a dynamic, tragedy is poised for the final piece of this lively story.
There is a dark mood which sets the atmosphere throughout the novel, giving the reader a sense of impending doom no matter what the central characters try to do to avoid such a conclusion. They have taken over from the author and there is no way out of the dilemma other than the tragedy that closes out the story.
Neary has a fine ear for dialogue, for plot, and for dynamic tension, all three elements combining to make Brendan Malone a story to be read and taken seriously. It is a story that reflects a moment in Irish history, but at the same time has the elements of ancient Greek tragedy and the forecast of our own times when we seem to be plunging into the darkness of an unknown future. Take and read.
Jean Rodenbough, author of Rachel's Children:Surviving the Second World War, All Things That Matter Press, 2010.
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