Reviews

Thin Places by Kerri ní Dochartaigh

ovenbird_reads's review

3.0

3 stars overall but with some 4 and 5 star moments. There is some beautiful writing in here and the idea of "thin places" was reverberant. I have stood in some such "thin places" myself and know the power of falling through the veil of time and history, self and ancestry. I've known that deep mix of grief, hopefulness, connection, and loss. And while I loved some pieces of this, I also struggled to finish. Much of it was deeply personal and seemed to lack the details or context that would help it live on the page. It was clearly a process of making sense of a complicated past for the author, but as a reader I wasn't always invested in the narrative. It got lost a bit or was buried in musings of deep personal significance but didn't leave a way in for the reader. I hope there will be more books by this author as she has a sharp eye and a poetic mind.

ae_world's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Violence

felicityg's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

p_tremuloides's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

elizastudying's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

This book was partly far too long and partly contained the most beautiful writing and insights I’ve read in a while. The last few chapters just didn’t catch me anymore though, or I didn’t have the patience for them anyway. But I loved its mix of history, nature writing and memoir. Very clever. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, War, and Suicide

nittlenattle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

mimothysmall's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, War, and Suicidal thoughts

girlglitch's review

4.0

Thin Places is a beautifully-written memoir about the Troubles, trauma and healing.

Kerri Ní Dochartaigh crafts some stunning images and her prose sings from the page. Her descriptions of the thin places are almost incantations, transporting you straight to the Atlantic shores of Ireland. While it gets a little repetitive at times, I loved the rich mix of nature writing and mythology.

But the beauty is always held at counterpoint to the brutality of the Troubles. This is a raw and honest exploration of trauma - both personal and generational. Northern Ireland has a complex history and it's vital that we recognise the ongoing impact of violence and hope today.

Thin Places is an important and powerful read: haunting and hopeful in equal measures.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

papelcaracol's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

kbrenn12's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0