A review by smbla
The Green Road, by Anne Enright
4.0
Anne Enright’s most recent novel The Green Road is an engaging and punishing narrative. You meet the Madigans an Irish family from County Clare at a critical moment-an announcement is made at a Sunday dinner. You then are given a glimpse into their lives and meet them all together again as they grudgingly reconvene at a Christmas dinner some 25 years later. What was particularly interesting to me was that when you meet the Madigan children-Dan (the ex- Priest ?), Constance(the home maker), Emmet(the missionary) and Hanna(the would be actress) you are introduced to only the potentially pivotal moments in their lives - they have reached the point of change, a decision must be made or potentially tragic moment overcome. I thought this would be disconcerting since it wasn’t a straight narrative but just a captured moment albeit one that included depth but I realized I had a very clear picture of who they were, the choices they made and the approval sought.
The Christmas get together is relatable on so many levels-the childhood alliances, the festering resentments, the miscommunications, the manipulations and the glue that binds them all together as the Madigans. Here the narrative thread is continued and even though many of the scenarios are unresolved they felt complete.
To me Enright is one of those writers that makes you wince and laugh at the same time. She is clear and concise and always seem to hit it out of the park each time she publishes.
The Christmas get together is relatable on so many levels-the childhood alliances, the festering resentments, the miscommunications, the manipulations and the glue that binds them all together as the Madigans. Here the narrative thread is continued and even though many of the scenarios are unresolved they felt complete.
To me Enright is one of those writers that makes you wince and laugh at the same time. She is clear and concise and always seem to hit it out of the park each time she publishes.