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Janice P. Nimura: Stand in the Place Where They Were (0 comment)
I’ve always loved historic house museums, loved peering beyond the velvet rope into a Victorian bedroom or a colonial kitchen and imagining the ghosts that wore those dresses, or worked the handle of that butter churn, or laid the fire in that grate... 

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Gathering

by Anne Enright
Gathering

  • Comment on this title
  • Synopses & Reviews
  • Reading Group Guide
  • Award Excerpt

ISBN13: 9780802170392
ISBN10: 0802170390
Condition: Standard


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Awards

Winner of the 2007 Man Booker Prize
Winner of the 2008 Irish Book Award for Best Novel

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

The new novel from one of Ireland's most prominent voices, The Gathering is an extraordinary anatomization of a family confronting the ghosts of its history.

A dazzling writer of international stature, Anne Enright is one of Ireland's most singular voices. Now she delivers The Gathering, a return to an intimate canvas and a moving, evocative portrait of a large Irish family haunted by the past.

The nine surviving children of the Hegarty clan are gathering in Dublin for the wake of their wayward brother, Liam, drowned in the sea. His sister, Veronica, collects the body and keeps the dead man company, guarding the secret she shares with him — something that happened in their grandmother's house in the winter of 1968. As Enright traces the line of betrayal and redemption through three generations, she shows how memories warp and secrets fester. The Gathering is a family epic, clarified through Anne Enright's unblinking eye. This is a novel about love and disappointment, about how fate is written in the body, not in the stars.

The Gathering sends fresh blood through the Irish literary tradition, combining the lyricism of the old with the shock of the new. As in all of Anne Enright's work, this is a book of daring, wit, and insight, her distinctive intelligence twisting the world a fraction and giving it back to us in a new and unforgettable light.

Review

"Anne Enright's style is as sharp and brilliant as Joan Didion's; the scope of her understanding is as wide as Alice Munro's; her sympathy for her characters is as tender and subtle as Alice McDermott's; her vision of Ireland is as brave and original as Edna O'Brien's. The Gathering is her best book." Colm Toibin, author of The Master and Mothers and Sons

Review

"In the supercharged beauty of her oddly brittle, spiky sentences, you hear the cadences of the incomparable Don DeLillo....The penetrating exploration of domestic relationships, especially among women, calls to mind...Anne Tyler." Newsday

Review

"Delivers with sharp wit and a huge heart." Elle

Review

"A dreamy, melancholy swirl of a story, wise about the bonds and burdens linking children to each other and their grown selves." Kirkus Reviews

Review

"While readers won't be drawn to the characters, anyone who perseveres will find a story of harsh redemption and of a future found in a child's blue eyes." Library Journal

Synopsis

Anne Enright is a dazzling writer of international stature and one of Ireland's most singular voices. Now she delivers The Gathering, a moving, evocative portrait of a large Irish family and a shot of fresh blood into the Irish literary tradition, combining the lyricism of the old with the shock of the new. The nine surviving children of the Hegarty clan are gathering in Dublin for the wake of their wayward brother, Liam, drowned in the sea. His sister, Veronica, collects the body and keeps the dead man company, guarding the secret she shares with him--something that happened in their grandmother's house in the winter of 1968. As Enright traces the line of betrayal and redemption through three generations her distinctive intelligence twists the world a fraction and gives it back to us in a new and unforgettable light. The Gathering is a daring, witty, and insightful family epic, clarified through Anne Enright's unblinking eye. It is a novel about love and disappointment, about how memories warp and secrets fester, and how fate is written in the body, not in the stars.

About the Author

Anne Enright's work has appeared in The Paris Review, Harper's, The New Yorker, and The Penguin Book of Irish Fiction.

Reading Group Guide

Readers’ Guide for The Gathering by Anne Enright

1. At the very beginning of the novel, the narrator, Veronica, states that she is setting out to “bear witness to an uncertain event” from her childhood. Begin your discussion of this novel by considering the nature of truth, and the ways in which it is possible or impossible to reach the truth in remembering stories from our childhood. Do you think it is more important for Veronica to arrive at the truth or to uncover the stories and memories that might hold clues to her childhood? How far do you think she succeeds in reaching an approximate truth? Consider her statement “I do not know the truth, or I do not know how to tell the truth” (p. 2) – and discuss its implications.

2. In many ways she is disturbing the ghosts of the past as she sifts through her stories and “night thoughts” (p. 2). Look at the ways in which these ghosts manifest themselves physically throughout the novel. How does the ghost or presence of her brother, Liam, make itself felt, if at all?

3. The novel eloquently explores the landscape of grief and the ways in which a death inevitably brings up memories and questions about the past. Talk about Veronica’s immediate responses to Liam’s death, and compare and contrast her mother’s reactions. Discuss the responses of the various other siblings. Why is Veronica irritated by her mother’s grief, and the fact that she has to go through the notions of comforting her? What does she mean when she says “Who am I to touch, to handle, and discard, the stuff of a mother’s love?” (p. 11).

4. The mother is an overwhelming presence at the center of the novel, not by the force of her own character but more so by Veronica’s bitterness towards her. Analyze the mother’s place in the novel, and talk about the level of Veronica’s anger toward her. What will she not forgive her mother and why? Discuss the possible reasons for her statement “the imponderable pain of my mother against which I have hardened my heart” (p. 185). Does her opinion of her mother shift at all during the novel? Does she ever feel a moment of love for her?

5. In light of the last question, consider the central role of forgiveness and guilt in the novel and the hold it has over the characters. Analyze especially Veronica’s relationship with her brother Liam, and her belief in forgiving the dead. Why do you think Liam made her feel guilty about her life with her husband and her daughters? Talk about the effect of Liam’s death on her relationship with her husband, and with the life she has created for herself.

6. Compare Veronica’s upbringing with that of her own two daughters, and her parenting style with that of her mother. Reflect upon the emptiness she feels in her life, the sadness it causes her, and how it will impact her daughters. Are there instances in her own life that reflect her mother’s? Consider the implications of Veronica’s worries about her children’s well-being and talk about whether over-parenting serves them better than the lack of parenting she received from her mother.

7. Consider the strength that Veronica exhibits during the period after Liam’s death. At one point, she says, “I am all for sadness . . . but we fill up with it . . . until donk, we tilt into the drink” (p 175). Indeed, at points she seems to be plunging down Liam’s path of drinking and despair, and yet she keeps herself from making the plunge. Analyze the ways in which Liam has given into this despair, and the ways in which Veronica rails against it. What are some of the sources from which she derives her strength? Why was Liam unable to draw upon the same reserves in his battle with depression? Do Veronica’s humor and irreverence have a place in the midst of such grief?

8. “I am the one who loved him most.” Veronica repeats this line as she undertakes the practical duties of death (arranging for bringing Liam’s body home). It seems that she considers her close relationship with Liam as a burden. Are there other characters in the novel for whom love is a burden? Talk about Uncle Val’s comment at Liam’s wake, “Ah well. We did our best” (p. 203). What realization does it bring to Veronica? Discuss the responsibilities of filial and sibling love.

9. “There was great privacy in a big family . . . no one ever pitied you or loved you a little” (p. 164). Analyze this interesting statement, and talk about how the Hegarty family’s character and, perhaps, destinies were shaped by the sheer number of children in the family. On occasion, Veronica refers to the Hegartys as a group, a particular type who share certain characteristics – what are some of their traits? She also considers them all as damaged (p. 222) – how far do you agree with her view?

10. Liam’s death serves as a catalyst for Veronica as she launches herself in pursuit of childhood memories, searching for the moment that set Liam off course in his life and steered him toward an early death. She states “What is written for the future is written in the body” (p. 163). What does she mean by this statement and how much do you agree? Could she have done anything to avert his suicide? To what extent do you think she has lived with guilt about Liam’s abuse since her childhood, or do you believe the memories have only resurfaced after his death?

11. Discuss the reasons why she begins to view her life with her husband and children in a new and unpalatable light? Is her sudden change of heart valid? How far do you sympathize with her? What view do you begin to shape of her husband? What are your feelings toward him?

12. Early on in the novel Veronica states, “There are so few people given us to love.” What do you think she means by this and how is this opinion reflected in the narrative? Certainly, the novel expressively touches upon and considers many different forms of love. Expand upon the ways in which the Hegartys are bound together by love. Look at the marriage of Veronica’s parents and find instances of love there as well as in the marriage of Ada and Charlie. Consider the bonds between the siblings and the way they interact with each other as adults. And what about the “easy, anxious love” a child feels for her grandfather?

13. The character of Ada seems to provide a key to Veronica’s – and Liam’s – past, and she is portrayed with far more detail than any other character. What do we know for sure about Ada? Analyze her relationship with her husband, Charlie, considering the statement “We do not always like the people we love” (p. 110). How much of the relationship between Ada and Lamb Nugent is invented? What do you understand of the relationship between Ada, Charlie, and Lamb? What do you think we are supposed to surmise? At what point does Veronica realize that Lamb was her grandparent’s landlord and how does that change her view of events that took place that summer?

14. In a novel of “shifting stories and waking dreams” (p. 142) Veronica searches for the memory of her brother’s abuse, and tries to pinpoint her grandmother’s role in it. Does she ever come to a true understanding of this? Do her feelings for her grandmother change? What about her mother’s place in all this? Consider the childhood mantra, “Don’t tell mammy,” and talk about how much you think the mother knew.

15. Veronica says “Liam’s fate was written in his bones” (p.163). Do you think she believes that Liam’s fate was set in motion that fateful summer?

16. Veronica seems to be searching for some sort of truth, a conclusion, but states at one point “The only things I am sure of are the things I never saw” (p. 62). Again, on p. 91 she says that there is something “immoral about the mind’s eye.” What truths has her internal journey brought her? How has her journey into the past paralleled her journey to pick up Liam’s body and bring it back to Ireland for burial? To whom does the question “What use is the truth to us now?” (p. 208) apply?

17. The physicality of the body is very much in evidence throughout the narrative. Indeed, a corpse sets the novel in motion, and an act of physical abuse lies at its center. Find examples of the weight of the body throughout the text: consider the death of Ada’s husband, Charlie, of Veronica seeing “the living with all their smells and holes” through Liam’s eyes (p. 76), her statement “I do not believe in my husband’s body anymore” (p. 73). Discuss the place of sex in the novel as another aspect of the physical. Is there a division of body and soul in the novel?

18. Male sexuality in particular is a contentious topic in this book. In some instances, as with Ada and Charlie, it is part of a romantic, nurturing union between two people; in others, it is a thing inflicted on one person by another. Both types of sexuality—the constructive and the destructive—have a lasting effect on future generations. Consider the female views of male sexuality presented in this book, and the ways in which men like Tom are forced to reckon with their “impulses and [their] actions, and the gap between the two” (p. 177). How are these male characters affected when they let their desires govern their behavior?

19. Religion runs seamlessly through the fabric of the narrative as a presence in the lives of the Hegarty children but not as an overwhelming influence. Find instances where religion appears in the narrative and discuss its importance to the characters, and to the novel as a whole. Talk about how The Gathering’s lack of emphasis on religion might fit into the tradition of Irish literature. 20. What do you think Veronica means when she says “Blasphemy seems to be my business here” (p. 59).

21. Consider the role of happiness in the novel. Do you think that any of the characters have found contentment in their life? Why do you think Veronica considered Ada and Charlie to be happy? Given her memories of what happened at their house during her childhood, what does this say about her view of happiness? Discuss the following statement “with the Hegartys a declaration of unhappiness is always a declaration of blame” (p. 210), and talk about what it means with regard to the Hegartys’ notion of happiness and unfairness in life.

22. In many ways Veronica has tried to escape the clutches of her childhood. Pinpoint ways in which she has attempted this, and consider how successful she has been. When she goes on her night drives to old childhood haunts were you surprised to find her still living so geographically close to her past? Do you think she can ever really escape?

23. Veronica states that she feels “pawed, used, loved, and very lonely” (p. 244). What have you learned about her over the course of the narrative that would explain why she feels this way? What does she mean when she wishes that someone will “say, again, that everything will be all right?” (p. 244).

24. Why do you think that everyone, and especially Veronica, is entranced by the child Rowan? What does he seem to represent? 25. At the end of the novel Veronica finds herself falling back into her life, hoping to return to her husband and daughters, and to reenter her own life. What do you think the future holds for her? Do you think she will be able to live in her life again as she wishes? Has she grown during the narrative, and, if so, how? Did you find her empathetic as a character? As a narrator? What do you hope for her future?

FURTHER READING:

Winterton Blue by Trezza Azzopardi; Dubliners by James Joyce; The Lucky One by Rachel Cusk; Charming Billy by Alice McDermott; and The Speckled People by Hugo Hamilton


3.8 7

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Average customer rating 3.8 (7 comments)

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paris2002 , January 01, 2012
To my mind the work of a compartmentalized mind: acute psychological perception on the one hand and bizarre dissociation on the other, making for a disturbing story by a woman I'd love to break bread with, out of admiration and sheer curiosity.

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Elizabeth L , January 25, 2010 (view all comments by Elizabeth L)
Anyone who is mildly familiar with Irish literature (or literary tropes) will recognize the themes of Enright's novel: Catholicism, alcoholism, English antagonism, and the like. However, Enright brings something new to these familiar subjects: a female protagonist. Furthermore, she invests her with a deity-like ability to hearken forward and backward across the "real time" of the novel, recalling moments both from her own childhood as well as her grandparents' with a command as fantastic as it is affective. (I was reminded of Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, where certain narrators are given the ability to describe they couldn't have possibly witnessed as if they were, in fact, right there.) Though the narrative's momentum (perhaps due to its constant jumps through time) lags at points, what emerges is a vivid portrait of the horrors of family, the powers of memory, and the inevitability of repetition and return. I remember this novel being a controversial pick when it won the Booker Prize in 2007, but I was continually impressed by its power to render old themes in a new way while simultaneously feeling representative of its cultural and literary roots.

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JebJab , December 31, 2008
I've got to agree with madelaine support on this one. Except I'm not even giving this book one star. I have maybe 20 pages left until the end. "The Gathering" will make my top ten list, but it will be the top ten all time worst books I've ever read. Mercy me. I'm also of Irish ancestry and have always loved books about Ireland and my people. This book is so mired in self-pity and perceived tragedies (her grandparent's invented history) I find it hard to believe that it isn't from a vanity press. The book jumps from one point to the other without segue and is hardly more than a study in a housewife's discontent with life in general. Save yourselves some time and money folks. Don't bother.

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Bianca , December 10, 2007 (view all comments by Bianca)
The family described by Enright is problematic, hate-love relationships that exist in many families, well hidden in the past, but more and more spoken off openly in modern times. Under Emright’s talented pen the characters come easily to life. What bothered me is the wide use of vulgarities, a too extensive use of words like "fucking" and "piss", not always needed in the text, and which make one wander if Enright has succumbed to the modern trend of feeling the need to shock.

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StephenWright , November 27, 2007 (view all comments by StephenWright)
This is a complicated book, one that requires more than one reading with which to fully come to grips. There's a lot going on here, about family, about the ties that bind, about the fact we can never escape the past. Everyone will not like this book, it's too grim and rambling and unfocussed for that, but I did. The story, which is set in Dublin, revolves around Veronica Hegarty, a 30-something wife and mother, who has escaped the clutches of her huge Irish Catholic family She has eight siblings and suffers hardships when her brother, Liam, kills himself. Closest to him in age, Veronica is the one who must pick up the pieces and bring back his body from England, where he drowned himself off Brighton Beach. The first-person narrative is told in a stream-of-consciousness manner from Veronica's perspective. She flits backwards and forwards in time, exploring her family's dark history. She goes as far back as her grandparent's generation as she tries to unravel the story. During the course of the book, which spans Liam's death through to his funeral, Veronica traces the history of the family. But through this we glimpse Veronica's obsessions and see how her personality has been slightly damaged by her rough-and-tumble crowded childhood. Her pain and her anguish is never expressed to the outside world (she cannot even communicate with her husband), but is buried deep inside where it finds expression in Veronica's self-loathing. If nothing else, The Gathering is a portrait of a lost woman coming to grips with her past, her present and her future!!! I would also recommend, if you missed reading TINO GEORGIOU'S masterpiece--THE FATES, go and read it. With fascinating and brilliantly created characters in `THE FATES' coupled with two intertwining plots makes for a completely enjoyable and page-turning read.

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madeline support , October 23, 2007
well since she "out" the missing madeline girl I am going to tell everyone not to buy this book. She doesn't care that a 4-year old is missing in hands of a stranger.But she has rights to say something bad about them.I will never buy this book, and I am embrass for the Irish which I am, for her to be talking like this join me and soon hundreds,to not read and support her cruel intentions!!!

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Leah S. , August 12, 2007
Enright's selection as one of thirteen on the Booker longlist is well-deserved.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780802170392
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
09/10/2007
Publisher:
ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS
Pages:
260
Height:
.80IN
Width:
5.40IN
Thickness:
.75
Number of Units:
1
Copyright Year:
2007
UPC Code:
2800802170394
Author:
Anne Enright
Author:
Anne Enright
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Subject:
Domestic fiction
Subject:
Family secrets
Subject:
Family

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List Price:$16.00
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