Hidden Symptoms

by Deirdre Madden

For Theresa and her student friends, Belfast can seem an urban nightmare - a city where violence can erupt at any moment, where secrecy and bitterness are nursed behind closed doors, and where Theresa's twin brother, Francis, has been murdered, Deirdre Madden carefully and movingly reveals the crisis of faith that confronts Theresa when her devout Catholicism provides no explanation for the tragedy. Hidden Symptoms was originally published in Faber's First Fictions anthology where it was highly praised and was awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature in 1987.

Genres: Ireland, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Irish Literature

142 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Deirdre Madden is from Toomebridge, County Antrim in Northern Ireland. She was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and at the University of East Anglia. In 1994 she was Writer-in-Residence at University College, Cork and in 1997 was Writer Fellow at Trinity College, Dublin. She has travelled widely in Europe and has spent extended periods of time in both France and Italy.

Reviews

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's little as exciting as stumbling over an author and book you've never heard of and being immidiately taken by it. "Hidden Symptoms" is Deirdre Madden's debut novel, first published in 1986 and awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature back then. I had to check the release year in the front of the book after 20 pages or so, because it read very modern but they were referencing the troubles in a way that it made more sense set in the late 80s than now. Reading the novel I did think of Anna Burns and Sally Rooney but mostly, I think, because of the topics: the troubles and the personal connection to it (Burns) and the question of catholic faith in the face of pain and suffering (Rooney).

When you really like a novel, sometimes it's harder to find the words for it than when you hate it. So I'll say what I didn't like: This book is very short, about 150 pages long, and it feels a little unfinished, as if the author couldn't quite figure out whether she wanted to write a short story or a novel. The ending was a bit "now what?". While the book really gripped me, there were a few passages that didn't fit in completely and felt less assured from the author, especially in dialogue.

A great book about humanity and relationships, loss and love. I'm very happy that I got another book by the author lying on my shelf, waiting to be read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the plot is simple and the story short, this book still manages to address broad themes – relationships, religion, violence, culture. All the books I’ve read by this author provide food for thought and are most enjoyable for their descriptions of characters’ thoughts. Madden’s characters are usually artistic and reflective in nature but rarely in a know-it-all way. Instead, they’re always striving and not quite where they want to be or living the lives they want to live. This book also offered a surprisingly thoughtful discussion of faith, a topic I don’t remember showing up in her later novels.

[Ronan Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely evocative of the pervasive cynicism a conflict like the Troubles can't but breed, and well explored across a few different lines of philosophy and religion, but Madden's got a misplaced confidence in her prose capabilities that only emphasises the writing's overwrought creakiness. Doesn't help that her male lead is such an insufferable character; his insufferable insularity killed the pace for me every time.

[Ellery Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hidden Symptoms is a delicate and heartfelt exploration of religious belief and sectarian violence. I loved Deirdre Madden’s writing style. One of the main characters Robert, however, was pretty insufferable.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Madden's elegant writing includes many of the elements I look for and prize most in books: originality, depth, relationships, insights, motivations, beliefs, creativity, life's impacts, how we're formed, inner life in marriage/conflict with the outer . . .

Having read most of Madden's books, the descriptions of dreams is one element she overdoes, relies on too often. She frequently uses dreams to convey a character's anxieties; they could be communicated more effectively, or at least in less irritating ways, through behavior and inner dialogue.

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

[spoiler free review]


Hidden Symptoms is a short novel. And Madden proves that you do not need more pages than that for your text to be meaningful. It is not a pretty story, but it is a very human tale of mourning, of grief, but also of art and faith.
If you are reading it or planning to, be aware of the ending. It will come to reconfigure your expectations of what it ought to be. Admittedly, I was taken aback by the simplicity of it, even a little bit disappointed at first, but after considering what the book is about, it makes perfect sense.

[Denise Kruse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things of importance and truth were always layered and hidden.
Complex characters in a complicated time and place, Belfast during The Troubles. Appropriately, it does not tie up in a neat bow. Thought povoking. Amazing writing. Very nearly 5 stars for me.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best novels I've read this year. Stunning prose and a fascinating exploration of political, religious, familial, and personal conflicts during the Troubles. I'll be thinking about this for a long long time.

[gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

FUCKING FINALLY
I kinda see the point of this book, and why I was made to read it for class, but still, it could've been 50 pages long.

[Etienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compelling and lifelike exploration of grief, but one that nevertheless lacks finesse. Deirdre Madden demonstrates an impressive talent for depicting inner states. Unfortunately, the tension between her characters is frequently awkward, and the dialogues feel positively didactic at times. Perhaps the author's critique of literature by literature wouldn't derail the narrative so much if the protagonists' arguments weren't so very threadbare.

Be that as it may, Hidden Symptons is a well-crafted novel that should appeal to readers interested in the emotional toll of Northern Ireland's Troubles.

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

got bored, seemed a bit clumsy to me

[Diana Ramos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad book but sadly it wasn't what I wanted or expected. The lack of hope was just unbearable.