Novel: Brooklyn
Author: Colm Tóibín
Format: Audiobook
Source: OC Public Library
Rating: 4/5
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
Summary
Eilis lives with her sister Rose and mother in a small town in Ireland. Rose works at Davis’s Mills and plays golf. Their brothers work in England as their town has no jobs for them. Eilis is learning bookkeeping and her classes have just ended. They are not doing well financially. Eilis is also looking for a job. One day, Miss Kelly, the owner of Kelly’s grocery shop calls her and offers her a job on Sunday’s with a low salary. Eilis accepts the job. She swiftly learns the job from Miss Kelly. Soon Miss Kelly abuses Eilis helping nature by calling her to work on weekdays too. Although she didn’t appreciate the way Miss Kelly ran her shop, she didn’t leave the job as she had no job offer.
One day Father Flood, an Italian American priest is visiting the town. He visits Eilis, Rose, and their mother. He offers to sponsor Eilis in America and find a job suitable for her abilities in Brooklyn. Eilis realizes that her mother and her sister wants her to accept Father Flood’s offer. So she accepts his offer and preparations begin for her departure to America. Eilis is afraid thinking about her move to America. But she maintains a pleasant facade for her mother and sister. She could see her mother and sister are doing the same for her, hiding their grief over Eilis’s move.
Finally, Eilis moves to Brooklyn, America. Father Flood manages her lodging at Mrs. Kehoe’s house and a job at Bartocci. She works as a sales clerk at the Bartocci’s and goes to night classes to learn bookkeeping. Gradually, she accepts the new town as her home. She meets Tony and falls in love with him. But an unexpected letter from her home makes her leave Brooklyn and Tony.
Audiobook
Narrators: Kirsten Potter
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Duration: 7 hours 38 minutes
Number of parts: 8
Rating: 4/5
Review: Kirsten’s pace of reading is good, her diction clear and understandable, which makes listening to this audiobook pleasurable. Audiobook gets a thumbs up from me. Kirsten Potter uses Italian accent for Eilis which she does brilliantly. I loved the voice she uses for Eilis. Her imitation of the various characters’ accents in the book is perfect. Although sometimes her tone feels monotonous and flat, that’s why I gave a rating of 4.
My thoughts
Brooklyn follows the story about a young girl who grows up and becomes stronger and independent after immigrating to a new country and living on her own. It’s a cute story, a little romantic too. The novel shows the struggles of immigrants, the compromises they make, their homesickness, difficulties in adapting the new cultures, etc. Although I liked the novel, it left me with so many questions about Eilis. [Spoilers ahead]
She was nobody here. It was not just that she had no friends and family; it was rather that she was a ghost in this room, in the streets on the way to work, on the shop floor. Nothing meant anything.
At first, Eilis didn’t want to leave her home and move to America. But she moves as her mother and sister believed moving is the best option for her. Next, her complex relationship with Tony. When Tony declares his love for her, she does the same even though she has doubts. Even though she is not sure she loves him. Why? Might be because she knows if she says what is going on in her head, she will end up hurting Tony!
Then before going back to her home, she accepts Tony’s marriage proposal. She tries to make him trust she will come back. But when nothing works, she marries him in secret. It was totally clear she didn’t want to marry. I guess she married because she couldn’t say no and break Tony’s heart.
Once she moves to home, she doesn’t tell her mother straightaway about her marriage. And starts an affair with Jim, a bar owner from her town. All throughout the dates with Jim, she senses she is betraying Tony, but she still continues to date, Jim? Why?
She even dreams about her life with Jim. She feels she doesn’t love Tony and marrying him was the biggest mistake. Can she divorce Tony? Would Jim marry a divorced woman? These are the thoughts that plague her. The following were my questions at this point. Did she love Jim? Did she really want to spend her life with Jim? Or was it the prospect of familiar life in her hometown close to her mother more alluring to her?
Then one day after a chat with Miss Kelly, she tells her mother about her marriage, packs her bag and goes back to America, to Tony. The biggest question why she left in such a hurry? What part of her conversation with Miss Kelly triggered her to go back? Maybe because Miss Kelly is in touch with Mrs. Kehoe, her cousin. Mrs. Kehoe might have somehow come to know about her secret marriage and told Miss Kelly. Now Miss Kelly might spread this news like gossip in the town tarnishing her and her mother’s image. Or, Mrs. Kehoe might inform Father Flood, Tony and Bartocci about her little affair and the possibility of her staying back. She didn’t want either to happen. And returns to America. This makes the ending both interesting and frustrating.
Memorable Highlights
Mrs. Kehoe grants a request from Father Flood to help Eilis when she goes to her night classes. So that Mrs. Kehoe could use this favor later when she wants something and Father Flood could help. Mrs. Kehoe giving Eilis the best room when it becomes vacant, making Eilis indebted to her. A debt she can use later when she needs something. I think most of the professional relationships work this way on the give/take model. You do something as a favor to someone, make a note of it and use that favor when you require something.
Bartocci starts accepting colored customers. During those times, doing this was kind of revolutionary for the big departmental stores. And Eilis is the one who entertains the new customers and helps them with their purchases while all others just look at them like they are animals at a zoo. Eilis doesn’t like this behavior. She finds the colored customers beautiful, lively and courteous. Then when her roommates declare they won’t shop at Bartocci because of the colored customers. She just shuts them up with her wit.
Would I recommend it?
Yes, absolutely. Then we can discuss my questions and Eilis.
Have you read Brooklyn? Did you face the same questions? What do you think of Eilis? Share your thoughts in comments below.
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Happy Reading!
