My thoughts: Lately, I have been trying to get through
a big pile of books on my bookshelves, but sometimes I put aside my
resolutions. That happened when I saw a book at the local library that pleased
me enormously - In the Forest by Edna O’Brien.
When I first
read a novel by the great Irish writer, Edna O’Brien, I immediately fell in
love with her writing style. I found Edna O’Brien’s writing poetic, elegant,
refined, enchanting and mesmerising.
In the
Forest is based on a true story that took place in County Clare, Ireland in
1994.
The novel
tells the story of Eily Ryan, a beautiful, bohemian and naïve woman and her
son, Maddie, a vivid, sweet boy. Both were found dead in Cloosh Wood. The
murderer is Michen O’Keane, nicknamed the Kinderschreck by a German man from
whom he stole a gun. He had had an awful childhood, filled with abuse, rape and
rejection. As a young adult, Michen had mainly known life in orphanages, prison
and the woods.
This novel
is a story of horror and sorrow, written in one long flashback, broken up into
named chapters. Right from the beginning, we know that Eily, her son Maddie and
Father John Fitzgerald are going to be murdered, but we don’t know the
circumstances under which these murders will occur. This makes the whole story
thrilling and full of suspense. When the tragedy happens, we feel horror and
sadness...I had to put the book down until the next day because I felt
extremely moved and anguished. The next day I finished it.
In the Forest is
a very dark and yet beautifully written book. This is the
second O’Brien novel that I have read. The first was “The Little Red Chairs”.