In contemporary Ireland, a woman of around 100 years old has been living in a psychiatric hospital for so long she cannot remember why she was put there. Nor does the doctor who has treated her for more than thirty years. But the hospital is going to close, and Dr Grene is charged with deciding which of his patients should be released. This begins an investigation into Roseanne's past, just as Roseanne herself decides it is time to write her autobiography.
Sebastian Barry's The Secret Scripture is a stunningly beautiful novel which takes us to the western coastal town of Sligo in the 1920's and 30's. This was a time of civil war and the Irish Free State, where someone's politics and allegiances could determine their future, and The Secret Scripture reminds us of how brutal such times could be. The Irish Free State existed between 1922 and 1937, and was then succeeded by the modern state of Ireland. Through the characters in the novel we learn something of how divisive the politics were, and the impact those tensions could have on ordinary lives.
But this is predominantly a very personal story.Through Roseanne's memories we learn the details of her difficult childhood and share her joy in the brief moments of happiness she experiences in her early adulthood. But as things turn sour and her fate is decided, it is with despair we realize how little say she has over her own future. In 1920's rural Ireland the influence of the Catholic Church was all encompassing, and Roseanne's destiny is determined by the will of a single priest.
Back at the hospital Dr Grene's investigations reveal far more than Roseanne's memory will allow, and remind us how little we can rely on memory to give us an accurate determination of the past. What I loved about this novel is that despite its lyrical prose, and stunning descriptions of landscape, it is at its heart, a mystery. And while some found its ending a little too convenient, I was prepared to suspend my disbelief in honour of such a beautifully told story.
I was left with a clear picture of what life was like in a town like Sligo at that time, where the long months of grey, dismal weather "as it was raining with that special Sligo rain that has made bogland of a thousand ancient farms" (p96) were interspersed by brief bursts of sunshine when "a hot Irish day is such a miracle we become mad foreigners in a twinkle" (p149). The politics of the civil war permeate the lives of all the characters reminding us of the country's brutal history and the way people's allegiances were a quiet determination of their fate.
If you are looking for a gentle, moving novel set in Ireland, this is a perfect choice. Barry's writing is like poetry, and he makes the most of the juxtaposition between past and present with lines such as "I am looking for my mother in these memories, and I cannot find her. She has simply disappeared." (P155). There is wonderful character development, and I enjoyed the growing relationship between Roseanne and Dr Grene. All in all, it is a very satisfying read which lingers long after the last page is turned.
Author Resource:-
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