Lily Bere’s memoir of an Irish emigrant’s life in America begins with the question ‘What is the sound of an eight nine year old heart breaking?’ She could have asked the question many other times during the course of a life retold which has to bear more than even an unfair share of tragedy.
I have somehow never read Sebastian Barry before and finding him now is a real delight, such is the beauty of his writing and phrasing.
The story has many themes, depending on your frame of mind as a reader. Loss, betrayal and companionship all feature, though the beginning and near end of Lily’s life are framed especially by the futility of war as seen through it’s human impact on those closest to her.
There are some wonderful passages, from the fear of arriving unknown in a big city to the day out at the funfair with Joe, and throughout the book there are phrases that will stand out for readers and encourage finding more of Mr Barry’s work.
The structure is based on Lily’s setting down the memoir of her life in the aftermath of her Grandson’s funeral. This despite ‘hating pens and paper and all that fussiness’. Her childhood in Ireland and her hasty departure to America are followed by violence seen and unseen which changes the course of her life. The friendhip of her employers and co workers contrast with the disapointments heaped upon her by those to whom she is closest in marriage and blood.
There are flaws in the story but those can also be put down to flaws in the process of memory. Looking back on Barry’s ability to carve out strories from within others he has also created a raft of characters lightly drawn here which could keep him busy with ‘pen and paper’ for a long time to come.
On Canaan’s Side is similar in setting to Colm Toibíns Brooklyn though painted on a bigger canvas. It is a fine book, one that deserves it’s place on the Booker Prize longlist and which could go all the way.
