Lighting up the shadows of our history

Jennifer Johnston has more than once been credited as one of our greatest living novelists and at the age of 82, on this the publication of her 17th novel, it is undoubtedly clear that she still possesses one of the most impressive literary voices this nation can proudly boast of. The beauty of Johnston's work is that whilst it is full of important themes and subjects it never ever forgets that the story is the most important thing of all. Everything else is secondary, and all the teachings and morals, messages and plot points contained within, are imparted with a gentle whisper, bound tightly and imperceptibly into a story that is so charming it can carry you away with it. Shadowstory is something of a coming-of-age novel, charting a young girl's accession into womanhood during a period of cultural, economic, religious and political change in Ireland. It is just after the Second World War and Polly has grown up part of a respected landed protestant family in rural Ireland. Her father has died in the war and together she and her mother leave the family seat and move to Dublin - away from his side of the family and the people and place where she feels most at home. As time passes, Polly's mother remarries and has two more children and Polly finds herself nudged outwards towards the fringes of the family. She begins to spend more time back at her grandparent's house, in the idyllic countryside where she feels a sense of belonging. There she blossoms, as too does her relationship with her young uncle who, only a few years older than her, is a man of troubled ideals and passions. Family expectations and pressures prove too much for him and he leaves for Cuba, believing he can change the world yet afraid to tell his family where he has gone, leaving his devoted niece Polly to cover up for him, at great cost. As things quietly fall apart at the family home, and Polly struggles to remain loyal to him, she is faced with the realisation that she has more influence on the future of this family than she ever imagined. There may be no great drama on the surface of things in this tender and compelling novel but through the subtly shared story of Polly's emancipation; stories of family, politics, change and regret are expressed and each line in this book is a delight to read. Johnston has written another wonderful novel that explores our history of being Irish and long may she continue to entertain us, enlighten us and represent us so exquisitely. For lots more book reviews and to keep up-to-date with the latest literary news, become a member of the Bord Gáis Energy online book club bordgaisenergybookclub.ie where you'll find great recommendations for hours of entertainment in a good book!