A review by mappy
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

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

4.25

Trespasses is more than the sum of its parts. Kennedy writes expertly, fittingly restrained in a context of conservatism and division; her work is detailed but not indulgent, and ultimately feels like a snapshot that transports the reader back in time to a Belfast torn violently between communities. The protagonist's claustrophobia does not extend to the reader - throughout, Kennedy provides the detail and feeds all of your senses, and then leaves you free to make your own assumptions. 

That may be the primary reason that it feels strange that this is marketed as a love story. More accurately, it feels like a story about loneliness and humanity, of how kindness can lead to condemnation, and how an individual's reach can't extend as far as their desires, their best intentions, or the influence of a society where power is outsourced and extremism prevails. 

The pace does feel slow but there's a shift in the final quarter that pays off and pulls everything together in a satisfying way. I look forward to reading more from this author as the prose, above all else, feels really impressive.
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