The Gathering by Anne Enright
If I be not mistaken, this is the book that won the 2007 Man Booker prize. I remember reading a short story by her in the Guardian after her win and really liking her turn of phrase. I’ve been looking for a cheap copy of the book ever since.
Whilst the book was often described by the prize judges as ‘depressing’ or ‘gloomy’ (or at least those that I read), I actually found the book surprisingly hopeful. Maybe that isn’t the right word, but it wasn’t dark, it wasn’t heavy. The subject matter is but at the same time, with the way that it’s written, it’s not one of those books that you only read a couple of pages of at a time. Loss is never a subject matter that will bring laughs, but it is always interesting to explore. Veronica’s story is incredibly moving and beautifully written; there are many pencil marks across my copy. Veronica Hegarty is a former journalist, now mother to two young girls having given up her job so her husband, Tom, can go back to work. Tom and Veronica’s marriage is one of quiet love and hate, throughout which Veronica is aware of her husband’s infidelity. This isn’t as big a plot point as it sounds. She is the eighth of twelve children in a large Irish family, she has always been somewhat different, especially from her immediate siblings - Liam and Kitty - having had the genetic luck of being excluded from the Hegarty colouring. It’s a wonderful example of a middle class woman coming to terms with circumstances she could not control.
As a child, Veronica witnesses the sexual abuse of her older brother Liam, by a family friend. The friend is her grandmother’s landlord and erstwhile suitor and it’s 1968. Of course, Veronica doesn’t tell anyone and neither does Liam so it lies as a secret between the two for years.
The story moves along slowly, switching between recent reminiscences, choosing a coffin in Brighton and imaginings of her grandmother, elaborations of things she’d heard about or experienced. It’s very well paced and the revelations spin out much in the same way a thought leads to others.
My one snag with it, is actually about the blurb. The blurb suggests that the book itself revolves around the remaining Hegarty children gathered for Liam’s wake and the devastating secret being revealed. It doesn’t. There’s nothing of the sort. The clan do get together and the scenes between them are wonderful; getting drunk together in the kitchen, not knowing how to handle the distance between themselves anymore - all very real sibling interactions. The focus though, is actually on Veronica dealing with the facts of Liam’s life, and of course, his death. The revelation comes late, the gathering even later. As I was coming into the book on the strength of the blurb, it was a little disorienting and in fact, frustrating that the book wasn’t going as advertised, so to speak. I’d still read the book again and would recommend it, but would also recommend not reading the blurb.
In short, the book is excellent, not a long nor difficult read and definitely worth a look. I’ll be sure to go through the back catalogue.
