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A review by inoirita
Long Island by Colm Tóibín
4.0
Perhaps why Long Island stood out to me is because of its exploration of the beyond, of what happens after girl and boy fall in love and get married.
Was it really a happy ever after?
Was it really the right choice?
Or does when things go wrong they do so because there's some cosmic presence that denies the union of two individuals who aren't meant to be together?
What happens if we end up with the one we were never supposed to, is a more popular and relatable story than the fairytopias of forever love that we're conditioned to believe in.
Brooklyn ends with Tony and Ellis's beginning, with a prospect of hope as the heroine chooses ritual marriage over a summer affair. But years later, America had grown stale and her marriage followed suit. Tony was not head over in heels in love with Ellis anymore. Domestic bliss was perchance a myth. A hurdle that the happily ever-afters seldom crosses.
Ellis needed answers. And Ireland was the only place that she knew that could give her the answers. She sets on a journey to repair the abruptly broken ties of the past, in an effort to nurture the wounds that were too deep and too complicated.
Colm Tóibín's breathtaking prose is what holds such a heartbreaking tale of love and loss together. It is truly beautiful how he weaves together the tangled human emotions and creates a narrative brimming with life and passion.
Was it really a happy ever after?
Was it really the right choice?
Or does when things go wrong they do so because there's some cosmic presence that denies the union of two individuals who aren't meant to be together?
What happens if we end up with the one we were never supposed to, is a more popular and relatable story than the fairytopias of forever love that we're conditioned to believe in.
Brooklyn ends with Tony and Ellis's beginning, with a prospect of hope as the heroine chooses ritual marriage over a summer affair. But years later, America had grown stale and her marriage followed suit. Tony was not head over in heels in love with Ellis anymore. Domestic bliss was perchance a myth. A hurdle that the happily ever-afters seldom crosses.
Ellis needed answers. And Ireland was the only place that she knew that could give her the answers. She sets on a journey to repair the abruptly broken ties of the past, in an effort to nurture the wounds that were too deep and too complicated.
Colm Tóibín's breathtaking prose is what holds such a heartbreaking tale of love and loss together. It is truly beautiful how he weaves together the tangled human emotions and creates a narrative brimming with life and passion.