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On Colm Toibin

 "Long Island" is the story of Eilis, who has stopped smoking, but who keeps cigarettes in her dresser drawer, "just in case." Eilis has married into a large Italian family; if someone knocks on a particular front door, everyone in the family is aware, because the houses all share one common lot.


Eilis seems to want more. She leaves her in-laws' business to work for strangers. She reads the New York Times--and she fights with her family's patriarch. "I actually don't support the Vietnam War, and I do not think it would be an honor to see my son in a body bag....." This outburst means that Eilis is permanently disinvited from Sunday supper. ("I just think you might feel more comfortable with some time alone," says her mother-in-law.)

Eilis's desire for autonomy eventually sends her back to Ireland, where she reunites with her own mother. Eilis has some cash, so she purchases a new refrigerator for her mom--but she doesn't raise the subject before signing the check. Her mother doesn't want the fridge--and also doesn't want to expend the effort involved in a formal rejection. ("I'll be paying the energy bills....while you're sunning yourself in America....") Eilis soon realizes the true reason for her mother's bizarre behavior: Not having a fridge means that you have to take frequent trips into the village, for necessities. If Mom lost those trips, then she would have little, or nothing, to do.

Colm Toibin seems to be describing my own world, though I wasn't alive in the seventies, and I have spent very little time in Long Island.

I love this book.
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Comments

  1. KathyMay 22, 2024 at 10:46 AM

    I have to read this - I love his work! Thanks for the tidbit, Daniel!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 23, 2024 at 8:24 AM

    Really enjoyed it! I'm moved by his astuteness -- doesn't seem to miss anything.

    ReplyDelete

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