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Remembrance Sunday
Simon Hanlon is 15 years old in 1987 when he and his father attend the Remembrance Sunday Parade in Enniskillen when the IRA bomb goes off. He survives the blast but experiences seizures which disappear only to return over thirty years later when he is living New York. As he waits for an operation that could render him unable to form memories or emotions, Simon tries to understand what links his fifteen-year-old and forty-eight-year-old selves, and what it is that has made his seizures return.
Questioning the notion of who we are, what we can know, and how we struggle to understand not only our own lives but the lives of others, Remembrance Sunday explores the legacy of violence and grief. What makes a person want to harm another and how can we begin to understand our capacity for violence? Moving between New York City's China Town to the border farms of Northern Ireland, this is a moving and unforgettable novel about love, empathy and the weight of history on a young life.
***
PRAISE FOR DARRAGH MCKEON
"A startling achievement . . . McKeon's characters may already have receded into history, but by imprinting their triumphs and tragedies onto the imagination with such visceral empathy, he has given them a deserving afterlife in this powerful novel' New York Times Book Review on All That Is Solid Melts into Air
'This daring and ambitious novel blends historical epic and love story . . . Darragh McKeon handles the struggles of his characters with care and compassion and creates a book rich with resonance far beyond its historical moment' Colm Tóibín on All That Is Solid Melts into Air
'All That Is Solid Melts into Air is a debut to rattle all the windows and open up the ventricles of the heart . . . McKeon is here to stay' Colum McCann
Questioning the notion of who we are, what we can know, and how we struggle to understand not only our own lives but the lives of others, Remembrance Sunday explores the legacy of violence and grief. What makes a person want to harm another and how can we begin to understand our capacity for violence? Moving between New York City's China Town to the border farms of Northern Ireland, this is a moving and unforgettable novel about love, empathy and the weight of history on a young life.
***
PRAISE FOR DARRAGH MCKEON
"A startling achievement . . . McKeon's characters may already have receded into history, but by imprinting their triumphs and tragedies onto the imagination with such visceral empathy, he has given them a deserving afterlife in this powerful novel' New York Times Book Review on All That Is Solid Melts into Air
'This daring and ambitious novel blends historical epic and love story . . . Darragh McKeon handles the struggles of his characters with care and compassion and creates a book rich with resonance far beyond its historical moment' Colm Tóibín on All That Is Solid Melts into Air
'All That Is Solid Melts into Air is a debut to rattle all the windows and open up the ventricles of the heart . . . McKeon is here to stay' Colum McCann
288 pages, Hardcover
Published May 18, 2023
7 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
About the author
Darragh McKeon
2 books63 followersFrom Ireland, Darragh McKeon has worked as a theatre director throughout Europe and the USA. He lives in New York. All That is Solid Melts Into Air is his debut novel.
www.darraghmckeon.com
www.darraghmckeon.com
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 13, 2023
It's no secret I've a real grá for Irish fiction, but right now, the ‘genre’ for want of a better term, is on point. This highly compelling reimagination of the IRA Remembrance Day attack on Enniskillen is no exception.
The novel explores the IRA bombing of Enniskillen in 1987 in unexpected and illuminating ways, but all with a well-researched historical basis.
Interestingly, McKeon, despite writing a profoundly political novel, has no interest in attributing blame. His approach is much more open, the societal, cultural, religious and physical landscapes laid bare in an almost philosophical manner for the reader to immerse themselves in.
So, our story opens with Simon narrating. He is a middle-aged Irish architect who is awaiting brain surgery. It's perhaps this new cognisance of his mortality that has him reflecting on his childhood, particularly the bombing he experienced as a teenager in Enniskillen. He begins to confront his deep-rooted feelings of guilt and shame over events gone by.
Simon is a man easy to listen to. Eloquent, intelligent and self-aware but not all that reliable. He raises more questions than he can or is willing answer.
Around the midpoint, we have Simon changing his focus - to make sense of events, he begins building a back story for Brendan, an IRA man he had a chance encounter with just prior to the bombing.
The creation of this person’s life from boyhood is meticulous and packed with dispassionate power. Interestingly, McKeon gives the bomber and Simon similar backgrounds and writes about his two main characters in a similar way despite their apparent differences. It's impossible not to draw comparisons.
There's plenty of history of the Troubles included here on a surface level only. But this is enough; the book is more about the legacy of trauma, the wreckage that violence leaves behind.
Remembrance Sunday is a quietly emotive, intuitive, contemplative novel. While it immediately establishes an intensity, it feels intimate, almost confessional. It is a tender, lyrical and deeply moving read. 5⭐
Many thanks to Penguin Ireland for sending me an advance copy; this is an honest review, as always.
The novel explores the IRA bombing of Enniskillen in 1987 in unexpected and illuminating ways, but all with a well-researched historical basis.
Interestingly, McKeon, despite writing a profoundly political novel, has no interest in attributing blame. His approach is much more open, the societal, cultural, religious and physical landscapes laid bare in an almost philosophical manner for the reader to immerse themselves in.
So, our story opens with Simon narrating. He is a middle-aged Irish architect who is awaiting brain surgery. It's perhaps this new cognisance of his mortality that has him reflecting on his childhood, particularly the bombing he experienced as a teenager in Enniskillen. He begins to confront his deep-rooted feelings of guilt and shame over events gone by.
Simon is a man easy to listen to. Eloquent, intelligent and self-aware but not all that reliable. He raises more questions than he can or is willing answer.
Around the midpoint, we have Simon changing his focus - to make sense of events, he begins building a back story for Brendan, an IRA man he had a chance encounter with just prior to the bombing.
The creation of this person’s life from boyhood is meticulous and packed with dispassionate power. Interestingly, McKeon gives the bomber and Simon similar backgrounds and writes about his two main characters in a similar way despite their apparent differences. It's impossible not to draw comparisons.
There's plenty of history of the Troubles included here on a surface level only. But this is enough; the book is more about the legacy of trauma, the wreckage that violence leaves behind.
Remembrance Sunday is a quietly emotive, intuitive, contemplative novel. While it immediately establishes an intensity, it feels intimate, almost confessional. It is a tender, lyrical and deeply moving read. 5⭐
Many thanks to Penguin Ireland for sending me an advance copy; this is an honest review, as always.
October 27, 2025
There has been an abundance of fiction emanating from Northern Ireland over the past few years. This book is right up there with the best of these works. Two people whose lives meet with terrible consequences. It deals with the bombing in Enniskillen on Remembrance Sunday in November 1987. The way the author uses these characters to examine the wider issues around the conflict in Northern Ireland is wonderful. This is one of the very best works of fiction from Northern Ireland.
May 11, 2024
If I could have I would have given this book 3.5
March 3, 2025
3.25 stars
July 10, 2023
4.5 Wonderful emotive storytelling centering around very sad real historical events. Beautifully written.
August 23, 2023
Simon est un architecte irlandais d'une quarantaine d'année. Il est parti vivre à New York pour échapper à son passé. Il a vécu toute son adolescence pendant les troubles qui ont eu lieu en Irlande du nord. Aujourd'hui il est divorcé et subit de nouvelles crises d'épilepsie alors qu'il n'en avait plus fait depuis longtemps. Ces crises vont le ramener à ses 15 ans plus exactement au 8 novembre 1987. Jour d'un attentat terroriste de l’IRA dans son village pendant la célébration du Dimanche du souvenir. Débute alors une introspection sur son enfance et les événements qui s'y sont déroulés.
Un roman que l'on pourrait qualifier d'historique puisqu'il reprend des dates importantes, des actions de l'IRA et du processus de paix qui s'en suivi dans les années 1990. Pourtant très vite on va s'attacher à suivre deux personnages de fiction, une victime et un bourreau. Les deux points de vue s'expriment et on attend avec impatience que les arcs narratifs se rencontrent. Un second roman qui nous parle de l'Irlande et des irlandais, éleveurs de mouton, ou dockers, durs à la tâche, bouseux, taiseux n'ayant pas peur de la violence. On arrive à sentir dans les descriptions des personnages l'attachement à la terre, à la patrie. Un roman passionnant qui reprend la période des troubles qui secoua l'Irlande du nord avec des répercussions dans le cœur de ceux qui l'ont vécu. Le pays porte toujours les stigmates de ce conflit fratricide. Un roman puissant qui nous parle des petites gens et de leur destin à jamais brisé. A leur côté on vit cette période de tensions extrêmes entre les républicains/nationalistes majoritairement catholiques et les unionistes/loyalistes majoritairement protestants. Une plume intimiste à découvrir. Bonne lecture.
http://latelierdelitote.canalblog.com...
Un roman que l'on pourrait qualifier d'historique puisqu'il reprend des dates importantes, des actions de l'IRA et du processus de paix qui s'en suivi dans les années 1990. Pourtant très vite on va s'attacher à suivre deux personnages de fiction, une victime et un bourreau. Les deux points de vue s'expriment et on attend avec impatience que les arcs narratifs se rencontrent. Un second roman qui nous parle de l'Irlande et des irlandais, éleveurs de mouton, ou dockers, durs à la tâche, bouseux, taiseux n'ayant pas peur de la violence. On arrive à sentir dans les descriptions des personnages l'attachement à la terre, à la patrie. Un roman passionnant qui reprend la période des troubles qui secoua l'Irlande du nord avec des répercussions dans le cœur de ceux qui l'ont vécu. Le pays porte toujours les stigmates de ce conflit fratricide. Un roman puissant qui nous parle des petites gens et de leur destin à jamais brisé. A leur côté on vit cette période de tensions extrêmes entre les républicains/nationalistes majoritairement catholiques et les unionistes/loyalistes majoritairement protestants. Une plume intimiste à découvrir. Bonne lecture.
http://latelierdelitote.canalblog.com...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews