My Father's House - Joseph O'Connor

 

I read this book because Sinead O'Connor died. I loved Sinead O'Connor. I loved her music. I loved her openness and honesty. I loved how articulate and intelligent she was. I was heartbroken when I learned of her death. I watched her funeral on my tablet. Later when reading accounts of the occasion I came across a poem her brother had written for her funeral - Blackbird in Dun Laoghaire. He didn't mention her by name I guess he didn't need to. It is a beautiful poem and I had never realised that  her brother was a novelist. And then I saw someone on social media who had read a novel by Jospeh O'Connor and spoke highly of it. I respect this person's opinion so I reserved a copy of the story at my local library. 

It's an historical novel, a war story, about the German occupation of Rome. It's about an Irish priest in Rome who helps numerous people escape the clutches of the Nazi's. It's based on facts and a real life person but it is a fictional imagining of the events. 

It's very much a thriller with plenty of action but it is a poetic and literary thriller. The language is very much in the Irish tradition. I found myself reading it with an Irish accent if that makes any sense. There was a sense of flowing cadences and a rhythm to the narrative. Some of it is very quotable even, which isn't something you expect from a WW2 thriller usually!

'A book rather gets its hands around your throat and shakes you until your fillings fall out. Some writers are skilled with words, but all of us are skilled with procrastination.'

The characterisations are adept. Hugh O' Flaherty leaps off the page at you with his strength, wisdom, humour and compassion. But the other characters are all complete people too and the dynamic between them is to be savoured.

Structurally the story offers a third person narrative interspersed with first person transcripts of written or recorded interviews so you are given a balanced view of the events from all those involved. As with any good thriller the novel is not without its twists.  But I'm not going to reveal them here!

I really enjoyed this book and I wasn't sure if I would because my reasons for reading it may not have been the purest in a literary sense. But I was mightily impressed and hope to seek out some more of Mr. O'Connor's work.