savvylit's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Doireann Ni Ghriofa is an immensely talented author. Her past experience as a poet shines through in her lyrical and often rhythmic prose. Many of the sentences in this unique book are both delectable and gorgeous.
A Ghost in the Throat is an intertwining of personal memoir and embellished biography. The most powerful passages in this narrative are those that are the most personal. For instance, when Ni Ghriofa's daughter is born prematurely, Doireann spends a harrowing and fevered period at the NICU alongside other worried mothers. The sense of uncertainty and hope in that particular section was palpable and unforgettable.
Overall, the way in which Ni Ghriofa connects to her fellow mothers - whether it be Eibhlin Dubh or the women at the NICU - is what makes this book work. That being said, I personally struggled to be interested in following Eibhlin Dubh's story. Ni Ghriofa ultimately learns quite a lot about Dubh as time goes on, but not anything that seemed to me to be particularly enlightening. For that reason, I finished the book feeling like I had missed something. Ultimately, though, I loved Ni Ghriofa's writing style and skill. I'd love to read some of her poems at some point. Perhaps I'd enjoy those more!
A Ghost in the Throat is an intertwining of personal memoir and embellished biography. The most powerful passages in this narrative are those that are the most personal. For instance, when Ni Ghriofa's daughter is born prematurely, Doireann spends a harrowing and fevered period at the NICU alongside other worried mothers. The sense of uncertainty and hope in that particular section was palpable and unforgettable.
Overall, the way in which Ni Ghriofa connects to her fellow mothers - whether it be Eibhlin Dubh or the women at the NICU - is what makes this book work. That being said, I personally struggled to be interested in following Eibhlin Dubh's story. Ni Ghriofa ultimately learns quite a lot about Dubh as time goes on, but not anything that seemed to me to be particularly enlightening. For that reason, I finished the book feeling like I had missed something. Ultimately, though, I loved Ni Ghriofa's writing style and skill. I'd love to read some of her poems at some point. Perhaps I'd enjoy those more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Murder, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
alexisgarcia's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hmmm this wasn’t exactly what i was expecting but it definitely wasn’t bad. this was a type of book i’ve never read before. this was incredibly interesting but a think a tiny bit repetitive and drawn out?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Blood, Death, Grief, and Murder
maddiep333's review
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Gore, Car accident, Chronic illness, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, and Pregnancy
feralbookwife's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
Just when I was ready to take a break from memoirs, this one knocked my socks off. Went into this one completely blind, just liking the title and cover style, and could not have picked a more poignant book. This is a powerful, deeply honest text with lots of tears along the way.
CW: animal death, pregnancy, birth trauma, murder, violence, sexism, mental health, autopsy
CW: animal death, pregnancy, birth trauma, murder, violence, sexism, mental health, autopsy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Grief, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Car accident, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Colonisation, and Child death
jesshindes's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
'A Ghost in the Throat' isn't a novel but a piece of creative non-fiction: I'd probably call it a memoir, although it is also (and is also about) an act of biography. This question of form or genre is something that the book repeatedly reverts to: 'this is a female text'. The phrase runs through the whole book like a refrain. Female texts might be bodies, clothes, wounds. The question of how women inscribe themselves on history is central.
The narrator - a version of the author, Doireann Ni Ghriofa - is a young mother, raising three babies, then a fourth. She is fascinated by an 18th-century Irish poem, Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire, a lament written by Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill after her husband was murdered. The book recounts Ni Ghriofa's relationship with the poem and its author, which is lived alongside and against the repetitive actions and rhythms of caring for her young children: cleaning the house, running the washing machine, feeding the babies. Breastfeeding in particular is another recurrent melody in the music of the book (and it is musical, beautifully written - you can tell that Ni Ghriofa is a poet): the narrator uses it to explore her own impulse toward self-sacrifice.
I really enjoyed this. There's a freedom about its unorthodox form: Ni Ghriofa can move forward through parallels and images without the constraints of traditional plot, although there is certainly an impulsive force that carries the book along. There's also something really effective about how all the sensations of Ni Ghriofa's everyday sit against the historical content of the book. Ni Ghriofa is very interested in the sensory experiences of Eibhlín Dubh's life (sharing a womb with her twin, birthing children, a startling moment in the poem where she drinks her dead husband's blood), and focusing on her own body proves a persuasive way of fleshing out the architectural and archival traces of the past. I also liked that 'A Ghost in the Throat' was so concerned with family life. At first I wondered why this particular poem - which is largely a love poem about a romantic relationship - was Ni Ghriofa's chosen vehicle for exploring her experiences, which felt much more focused on her children - but as the book continues Ni Ghriofa's husband emerges into more centrality and the ending in particular I think does a lot to enrich and complicate some of the issues that Ni Ghriofa has been exploring, and to show how their partnership underpins their family life.
I will also say that reading this book made me realise how much I read aloud in my head to myself, and that when I hit a word I can't pronounce (i.e. most of Irish Gaelic, although I was trying to look things up all the time) my brain just goes "???" instead. But that is VERY much a me problem. In general this was a really likable, thought-provoking book.
The narrator - a version of the author, Doireann Ni Ghriofa - is a young mother, raising three babies, then a fourth. She is fascinated by an 18th-century Irish poem, Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire, a lament written by Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill after her husband was murdered. The book recounts Ni Ghriofa's relationship with the poem and its author, which is lived alongside and against the repetitive actions and rhythms of caring for her young children: cleaning the house, running the washing machine, feeding the babies. Breastfeeding in particular is another recurrent melody in the music of the book (and it is musical, beautifully written - you can tell that Ni Ghriofa is a poet): the narrator uses it to explore her own impulse toward self-sacrifice.
I really enjoyed this. There's a freedom about its unorthodox form: Ni Ghriofa can move forward through parallels and images without the constraints of traditional plot, although there is certainly an impulsive force that carries the book along. There's also something really effective about how all the sensations of Ni Ghriofa's everyday sit against the historical content of the book. Ni Ghriofa is very interested in the sensory experiences of Eibhlín Dubh's life (sharing a womb with her twin, birthing children, a startling moment in the poem where she drinks her dead husband's blood), and focusing on her own body proves a persuasive way of fleshing out the architectural and archival traces of the past. I also liked that 'A Ghost in the Throat' was so concerned with family life. At first I wondered why this particular poem - which is largely a love poem about a romantic relationship - was Ni Ghriofa's chosen vehicle for exploring her experiences, which felt much more focused on her children - but as the book continues Ni Ghriofa's husband emerges into more centrality and the ending in particular I think does a lot to enrich and complicate some of the issues that Ni Ghriofa has been exploring, and to show how their partnership underpins their family life.
I will also say that reading this book made me realise how much I read aloud in my head to myself, and that when I hit a word I can't pronounce (i.e. most of Irish Gaelic, although I was trying to look things up all the time) my brain just goes "???" instead. But that is VERY much a me problem. In general this was a really likable, thought-provoking book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Cancer
Spoiler
discussion of childbirth and breastfeeding, also of dissection of dead bodieshanz's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Interesting and strange book. I think the blurb is misleading and the book is more memoir than about Eibhlín Dubh, but it is partly about the authors relationship to Eibhlín Dubh and the poem Caoineadh Art Uí Laoghaire. It is also about motherhood, pregnancy and obsession and about connecting to women throughout history. I enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Grief, Murder, and Miscarriage
aisclaradm's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Just incredible. No words for it except incredible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Misogyny, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, and Medical content
Moderate: Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, and Sexual content
cereads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Violence, Grief, Death, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
qqjj's review
challenging
hopeful
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Murder, Medical trauma, Grief, and Medical content
penofpossibilities's review
4.0
The first half of this book struck more heartstrings, especially the beginning is phenomenal. This author is very clever and her writing is clearly honed with skill and wit and emotion. Not a favourite, but highly highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Car accident, Animal death, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, and Medical content