Not what I expected
Bewertet mit 3.5 Sternen
At first - and I do not think it is a spoiler, one should be able to decide beforehand if one wants to deal with this topic - Cyril is not an ordinary man. His life is full of absolutely unordinary turns and twists. He is adopted, grows up with very 'special' adoptive parents and is gay - in a country and time when this was still considered to be abnormal and was forbidden by law. The whole book is therefore not really dealing with Ireland's story - it is dealing with Ireland's approach to homosexuality and with a gay man's search for love and a secure place to be be who he is. This is done in 10 (+1) sections, each one covering a year (and consisting of several chapters), all 7 years, beginning with Cyril's year of birth and ending with the year in which he dies. So the story covers round about 70 years, whereof 14 are not spend in Ireland.
The book interested me because I think Ireland is a very interesting country and I thought this book would tell me something about it's inhabitant's believes, about superstition and normal day-to-day life. Nope. The two most prominent aspects of 'Irishness' Boyne conveys in his novel are an uncanny sense of humor and a deep-rooted bigotry. But never both characteristics in one and the same person, of course. These two aspects are really carrying the story, because one is either scandalized/shocked by the narrow-mindedness or open brutality described or one is enjoying quick-tongued dialogues and on-point unmasking of shallow characters. I liked Boyne best when relishing his sarcastic, witty humor, but he also moved me to tears. It is great story telling and one is not surprised to read this book is dedicated to John Irving.