Reviews with content warning for Murder - Trespasses

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Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

58 reviews

deedireads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

TL;DR REVIEW

Trespasses is a well-written, intentionally tense novel about choice, conflict, and community. I wasn’t quite in the right headspace for it, but there’s no denying its merits.

For you if: You are interested in novels set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

FULL REVIEW

Shortlisted for the 2023 Women’s Prize, Trespasses is a well-written, character-driven novel about the ripple effect of personal choices on a tight-knit community, especially during times of political unrest (in this case, the Troubles in Northern Ireland). I think that I was perhaps not quite in the right mindset for this one, so it didn’t blow me away, but I certainly enjoyed it and have a lot of respect for what it pulls off.

The novel takes place in a small town outside Belfast around 1975. The main character is a young Catholic schoolteacher named Cushla who begins an affair with an older, married, Protestant barrister (lawyer) named Michael. She also finds herself a bit too involved in the home life of one of her less fortunate students, Davy. Of course, all that hardly lends itself to stasis even without the Troubles; eventually, the precariousness of the situation implodes.

This kind of felt like Milkman meets Shuggie Bain. That explains why critics loved it and I only liked it (I was lukewarm on Milkman but loved Shuggie). I feel like I’ve read a lot of novels lately about young women making morally gray choices, and a lot about the Troubles, so maybe that’s why it didn’t stand out as much in my mind. I also thought I was picking up on a couple of hints at the end that ended up being red herrings or just wrong assumptions about where the story was going; the actual execution made less sense to me, plot-wise, than what I’d assumed, which left me a little unsatisfied.

Lest you think I disliked this book, I will say that I very much appreciated how Kennedy managed to show both sides of the conflict with nuance, more like what I imagine it would have been to live in a mixed community than history or the press can convey. I also appreciated the way she brought the question of class into the mix of themes — this was very well done. Finally, I gotta hand it to the narrator of the audiobook, who read the story beautifully and authentically.

If you like Irish literature, especially about the Troubles, this one might be for you.

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danimarie96's review

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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barbarella85's review against another edition

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challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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elle_g's review

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Content Warnings

katewhite77's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Stunning, Just Stunning. Especially For A Debut.

It could be argued that you have to suspend your disbelief plot wise but I can forgive it. Oh god can I forgive it because otherwise this story could not have been told and it needed to be told. It could also be said that this novel is less about plot and more about the frailties of human nature in extreme circumstances.

The novel tells the story of one women's elicit affair during the early days of the Troubles in Belfast. The writing is exquisite.

Yes Cushla makes questionable decisions at times but don't we all. Sometimes they are just part of being being human and a good one at that.

Content Warnings