In Sunshine or in Shadow: Stories by Irish Women

by Kate Cruise O'Brien (Editor), Mary Maher (Editor)

Love is the common thread in nineteen powerful, moving stories from the finest Irish women writers. From rural villages to Dublin's suburbs to the streets of New York, women's hopes, dreams, and frustrations come alive in a unique anthology that mines Ireland's extraordinary storytelling tradition.

In Maeve Binchy's "Taximen Are Invisible" a cabbie becomes silent party to the lives of a couple who seem to have it all--until he sees the truth, and counts his own heretofore unrecognized blessings. The perfect marriage in Mary Gordon's "Bishop's House" appears to be the province of Helen and Richard, longtime friends of divorced, footloose Lavinia--until Lavinia discovers the true nature of their bond with each other--and with her.  Mary Maher pays tribute to a simple wife in "Lucy's Story" as Lucy shares her deepest secrets with a psychologist friend--and shows the steel beneath the fluff. It's a last, ironic good-bye for a long-separated couple in Mary Morrissy's "Clods," when a husband invites his wife to his mother's funeral, then overwhelms her with an unexpected passion. In these and the other unforgettable stories, nineteen remarkable writers weave tales of love, loss, and hope, creating vivid portraits of extraordinary women--gallant, sometimes foolish, often wise women--who have found the courage to endure loss of innocence and love betrayed...and survive.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Ireland

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 16, 1997

About the author

Born in 1948, she died of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 49.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of stories was occasioned by the passage of a referendum measure on divorce in Ireland in 1995. Prior to that, divorce was literally illegal under Irish law in that country so long dominated by Catholicism and tradition. These stories by women (17 in all, seven of which are written by women named Mary, in case the Catholic theme was not obvious enough) focus on marriage and family, sex and gender roles. There is humor in these pages, some deep insights, and some horrific tales. The stories tail off in quality and power toward the end of the volume. The apex of the volume for me was the story "The Orphan", by Mary Dorcey, though it is not a pleasant read.

[Estella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many of the short stories in this book were well-written, but the majority were dark and depressing. I slogged through most of the book and then had to set it aside. I like to feel uplifted by the books/stories I read. This had the opposite effect.

[Alice Harbin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a great fan of short stories, but these were almost so good that I might read more of them.

[Maya Assaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Sunshine or in Shadow, was published in 1997, just as divorce had been legalized in Ireland. The 15th amendment (legalizing divorce) passed in a referendum 50.3% to 49.7% - less than 10,000 votes difference- became law in 1996.

During this time there was also “The Troubles” in Ireland (1960s-1998), which was a fight over the status of Northern Ireland. Unionists and loyalists, who for historical reasons were mostly Protestants, wanted Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom. Irish nationalists and republicans, who were mostly Irish Catholics, wanted Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and join a united Ireland. This is less relevant to the themes of the book but still is mentioned in a few of the stories.

With the historical context, the book takes on a new meaning. This book was published in the midst of a cultural and religious reckoning. All the stories are written by Irish women, and touch on dysfunctional relationships, the role of women in traditional society, and sacrifices women make in marriage and in life.

Windfalls and Breaking, two stories right next to each other towards the beginning, speak on that oppression .

“What happens in between is that women wait for men. Just to think how much of a woman's time is spent waiting. Get up and make the breakfast and wait for him to get up. Wait for the child to get up. Bang on the doors. Will they, won't they, make it to school/office on time? Sob in the bathroom when they snarl at you. Was that what you were reared for? To nag .” (p 63, Breaking)
“Which comes first, the oak or the acorn? Are women born feeling guilty or is it men and marriage that make them that way?” (p.76, Breaking)

Short story collections are interesting reads because within each story a different aspect the sacrifice/abuse of women is highlighted. The Orphan, a difficult but poetic story about child sexual abuse, was the crescendo of the novel for me. It is not an easy read, but it ties together all the other stories where women are forced to step aside, stay quiet, clean up others' messes, bear the brunt of the world.

This is not an uplifting book, but was certainly thought-provoking. I would not recommend it if you're on the fence about children and marriage- the stories do not advertise that lifestyle in a favorable light.

(My favorite shorts were Windfalls, Breaking, A girl like you, The Orphan, Late Opening at the Last Chance Saloon)

p.s. The short “Commencements” was too wistful for my taste, but tells the story of a mother running into people from her past at her daughter's commencement for law school. One quote really stuck with me
“A past is one of the few things the old can have that the young might envy. I feel glad, without understanding why, that they have been reminded that I existed before they did, was known before they knew me” (p.206, Commencements)
→ the sacrifice of identity in motherhood; not present in fatherhood

[Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories from Irish Women authors about love and divorce. Mostly about that moment in Irish History involving the divorce referendum. As an american this book was an eye opener. I had no idea, that divorce was illegal so recently, and I had never even considered the effects of non divorce situation before. I mean, I had my suspicions, and nothing in the book is really new... its just that so much was just assumed. This little book makes you think about relationships in a way, that I had never been forced to look into.
It is absolutely brilliant.
I am sure that these situations, apply in every country... at different times.
A must read.

[Darla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing overall. I found this book of short stories because there's one included by Maeve Binchy, a personal favorite author. The rest of the short stories in the collection are also by Irish women. A couple of the other authors I found that really enjoyed, but most of the short stories were ones I wouldn't necessarily care to read again. The theme of the book was divorce, as the stories were written in response to the 1995 repeal of the divorce prohibition law in Ireland... So all of the stories focused on divorce as a theme. Depressing.

[Nancynova · Rating 5 out of 5]

mini-ring 2009 back from kelsey10 (Kim); lovely book of 19 short stories, most of them referencing the divorce referendum. Some stories were lightly written, others were very developed and enjoyable. One was heartbreaking, others you wanted to go on longer. I think I liked Ripples the best. This book will be traveling on to another reader.

[Vicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read in honor of St. Patrick's Day. All short stories written by Irish women. However, the common topic has to do with the Irish passing a law that divorce is now legal (1995?) so all the stories were about problem marriages. Not much fun.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love short story books, particuarly Irish authors.

[Karyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compilation of short stories written by Irish women authors to commemorate the legalization of divorce in Ireland. Some of the stories I enjoyed and others I did not.

[Tania · Rating 2 out of 5]

Randomly chosen from my pile(s) of books and it is book 75 of 2011 - aim 133 books in 2011

[John Mulholland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a "Chick" read. I did not like the simplicity of the stories.

[erocchio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sad but intriguing stories of Irish women. Says a lot about Irish men too. Easy to read and comfortable despite topics.

[Sarah Hoss · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Sunshine or In Shadow is a touching story. Cynthia Owens has a talent for bringing us into her stories and keeping us there. Characters to remember and beautiful descriptions of Ireland!