A review by serendipitysbooks
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

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

4.0

 
I found Tresspasses a really engaging read. Set in 1970s Northern Ireland during the time of sectarian violence known as The Troubles, its main character is Cushla. She’s a young Catholic woman who works as a teacher but also helps out in the family pub, takes care of her alcoholic mother and enters into a relationship with an older married Protestant man - a lawyer who represents Catholics, many of whom have been wrongly arrested. She takes a special interest in Davy, her young pupil who is shunned by his peers because his parent’s marriage is mixed - with one parent being Catholic and the other Protestant.

Things that really stood out to me were the ever present threat of violence, it’s horrifically brutal nature, the economic causes and consequences of conflict, the impact of constant surveillance and suspicion, the nasty bullying nature of some Catholic priests, and the toll all this took, especially on young lives. Despite traversing some tough topics this wasn’t an unduly heavy book. It had an almost understated style and was very much centred on the life that went on around and in spite of conflict.

There’s nothing necessarily new or cutting edge about this book in terms of plot or style. What it is is a well-told story about a topic that continues to have relevance and ramifications today, one that I very much enjoyed.

Coincidentally, I smiled at the mention of Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire, since I’m now familiar with it thanks to my recent read of A Ghost in the Throat.
 
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