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A review by vanitar
Away by Jane Urquhart
3.0
Although not my favourite genre and it was a bit of a slog reading through it at times (it felt very slow), this book is a very poetic account of a family across multiple generations and their journey from Ireland to Canada. The writing is eloquent and there are themes highlighted that look at immigration, identity, women, and explores layers of Celtic spirituality woven through the narrative and the characters' experiences.
One of the questions i had coming out of this book is what it means for someone to be "away". I am quick to interpret it through a modern lens of mental illness, but this book seems to highlight the spirit world of Celtic spirituality and also looks at what it might mean to be fully present in one's reality versus elsewhere either mentally or physically.
I enjoyed the ending more than the beginning. The beginning took too long to set up the initial story and had too many different characters and storylines at once that, to me, weren't relevant or helpful for the overarching storyline. Not my favourite book but it also highlights history of Ireland (specifically the potato famine) and the experience of Irish immigrants to Canada.
One of the questions i had coming out of this book is what it means for someone to be "away". I am quick to interpret it through a modern lens of mental illness, but this book seems to highlight the spirit world of Celtic spirituality and also looks at what it might mean to be fully present in one's reality versus elsewhere either mentally or physically.
I enjoyed the ending more than the beginning. The beginning took too long to set up the initial story and had too many different characters and storylines at once that, to me, weren't relevant or helpful for the overarching storyline. Not my favourite book but it also highlights history of Ireland (specifically the potato famine) and the experience of Irish immigrants to Canada.