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A lyrical portrait of a young Irish woman reinventing herself at
the turn of the twentieth century in America Ellen O'Hara was a
young immigrant from Ireland at the end of the nineteenth century
who, with courage and resilience, made a life for herself in New
York while financially supporting those at home. Hereafter is her
story, told by Vona Groarke, her descendant, in a beautiful blend
of poetry, prose, and history. In July 1882, Ellen O'Hara stepped
off a ship from the West of Ireland to begin a new life in New
York. What she encountered was a world of casual racial prejudice
that characterized her as ignorant, dirty, and feckless, the butt
of many jokes. From the slim range of jobs available to her she,
like, many of her kind, found a position as a domestic servant,
working long hours and living in to save on rent and keep. After an
unfortunate marriage, Ellen determined to win financial security on
her own, and eventually opened a boarding house where her two
children were able to rejoin her. Vona Groarke builds this story
from historical fact, drawing from various archives for evidence of
Ellen. However, she also considers why lives such as Ellen's seem
to leave such a light trace in such records and fills in the gaps
with memory and empathetic projection. Ellen-scrappy, skeptical,
and straight-talking-is the heroine of Hereafter, whose resilience
animates the story and whose voice shines through with vivid
clarity. Hereafter is both a compelling account of an incredible
figure and a reflection on how one woman's story can speak for more
than one life.
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