MacLaverty (Lamb) accomplishes this short novel with a shudder-soft
grace and inevitability; little here feels forced or elongated,
though the story itself is almost banal in bare outline. Cal
McCrystal is a young unemployed Ulster Catholic (he could work at
the abbatoir with his father Shamie, but he can't stand the sights
and smells); as the only Catholics left on their street, he and
Shamie are subjected to threats and, eventually, arson. Yet Cal is
no rabid IRA-er - despite his having been coerced by them into a
terrible deed: acting as the driver on a murder run that
assassinated a Protestant reserve policeman. It's Cal's fate, in
fact, to be repeatedly roped into situations he doesn't really want
to be in. And the central plot here involves Cal's love from afar
for a local librarian, Marcella, who turns out to be. . . the widow
of the policeman whom Cal helped destroy. Improbable? Certainly.
But MacLaverty is stalwart and light-touched enough to follow it
through, to convince us of Cal's love and guilt. Furthermore, when
Marcella finally responds to Cal (who has aroused IRA suspicions by
his silence and goes to dangerous lengths to be near Marcella),
there is a taut wire strung between them: Marcella's need for
comfort, her unawareness of his sin; his horror of blurting out one
day what he's done. And MacLaverty is especially good at the small,
dry-mouthed details of Cal's infatuation, which build minutely -
with an added interesting angle of characterization: Cal turns out
to be a wittier, more urbane lover than we'd expect, as though
freed by love from circumstance. A brief, slightly unbelievable
book - nonetheless made rich, affecting, and tangible by the quiet
determination of its characters. . . and its storytelling. (Kirkus
Reviews)
Penguin Student Editions are complete unabridged texts of Penguin Classics, Modern Classics and some more recent titles, packaged with reading help for the student in the form of:
- accessible yet authoritative introductions
- glossary of cultural references and unfamiliar words
- stimulating activities and discussion points, including activities needed to prepare for essays and examinations
- chapter-by-chapter summaries
- plot and character outlines
- chronology of the historical events of the time
- overview of the ways famous critics have read the books
A student-friendly approach to literature - the way students want to read.
A haunting love story set against the fear and violence of Ulster, where tenderness and innocence must struggle to survive.
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