Madge Kehoe, or the family she can only visit in memory as they come to stand an ocean apart. Though the narrative begins in Eilis’ small Irish home, Tóibín deftly incorporates memory in each section to further the centrality of family in the novel-whether it be Eilis’ makeshift family in the boardinghouse in New York with busybody Mrs. The beauty of Tóibín’s portrayal of the American Dream has to do with the way memory and family uncharacteristically decide a character’s destiny. Father Flood, a friend of Rose, offers to sponsor Eilis in New York-grand 1950s in the United States, the stuff of American dreamers. Not finding enough in Ireland to intrigue her quick, industrious mind, Eilis takes an opportunity granted her by the kindness of her mother and Rose. Born into a working-class family in Ireland, Eilis lives a quiet life in the radiant presence of her sister Rose. I was moved profoundly by the sense of home, the sense of family, of heritage, of memory, of love.Ĭolm Tóibín’s Brooklyn is a smoothly paced, gentle narrative of Eilis Lacey’s search for a home. As the weeks rolled on, I realized the soft, delicate memories portrayed in the novel were starting to settle in-at last. There was this odd sense of movement, yet I could not place the uncanny feeling.

I was at home when I finished Tóibín’s novel, but I didn’t feel at home.

Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín