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When You Wake and Find Me Gone
So how did you meet him? I hear you asking.Was it love at first sight? Was he a fellow teacher? Did you meet in a pub?This might be hard to believe, but the first time I looked into your father's eyes, he was holding a gun to my head.But first, let me explain . . .Everything is coming together for twenty-year-old Kit. She loves her new subjects at uni, she has some great friends, her big country family is safely three hours drive away, and the lecturer she's been idolising for months seems interested in her. Kit's life is taking off!But then there's an accident, the family calls Kit back, and suddenly all her certainties are shattered. Kit takes off to Ireland in search of answers. What she finds is a past dominated by violence, a present where the history still lives and a man who can help her understand . . .
444 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2002
4 people are currently reading
478 people want to read
About the author
Maureen McCarthy
33 books105 followersMaureen McCarthy, the ninth of ten children, was born in 1953 in country Victoria. She has worked as a teacher in Victorian secondary schools and has written scripts for television and educational films. Her film credits include 'Skipping Class', he award-winning documentary, 'Eating Your Heart Out', and the SBS mini-series, 'In Between', which was later adapted inot four novels by Maureen. Her latest works includes the novels Ganglands and Cross My Heart, which was published in 1993 and short-listed for the NSW Premier's Prize in that year. An Australian author and scriptwriter, her novels concern the lives of emerging adults, from ages sixteen to early twenties. McCarthy has three sons and lives in Melbourne.
Maureen dedicated her story in the collection 'Family: A Collection of Short Stories' to the memory of her much-loved nephew, Justin Haire, who died tragically in October 1993, aged 21 years.
Maureen dedicated her story in the collection 'Family: A Collection of Short Stories' to the memory of her much-loved nephew, Justin Haire, who died tragically in October 1993, aged 21 years.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 19, 2016
I think my main issue with this book is that it had very little point. While I wanted to finish the book, when I got there, I felt very underwhelmed and a little flat.
The book starts off well. The central character, Kit, and her friends are engaging. They seem familiar. There are small sub-stories in her friends that are interesting and set the premise up very well.
Then comes the introduction of Kit's family, the "big" twist of the book (which was largely very predictable), Kit's journey to Ireland, another twist of the book (perhaps even more predictable than the first) and the end, where Kat finds herself in almost the same position as she was at the beginning of the book.
Kit is self-centred. She only thinks of herself. Supposedly through her journey to Ireland, she has an epiphany of how she treats others and then immediately comes home to rectify her mistakes. Supposedly, she finds her true self in Ireland.
I didn't buy it. What is nothing more than a personal homage to Ireland by McCarthy is poorly disguised as an angst-ridden journey of self discovery. Though she goes across to Ireland in search of answers, she doesn't find anything more than some more characters who serve very little purpose to the plot.
The main relationship between Kit and Leonie is barely resolved at the end of the book. It makes no sense. Why would McCarthy, someone who can clearly write prose very well, not resolve the main tension in the book in a way that is satisfying to the reader?
Do yourself a favour. Buy a guide book to Ireland.
1/5
The book starts off well. The central character, Kit, and her friends are engaging. They seem familiar. There are small sub-stories in her friends that are interesting and set the premise up very well.
Then comes the introduction of Kit's family, the "big" twist of the book (which was largely very predictable), Kit's journey to Ireland, another twist of the book (perhaps even more predictable than the first) and the end, where Kat finds herself in almost the same position as she was at the beginning of the book.
Kit is self-centred. She only thinks of herself. Supposedly through her journey to Ireland, she has an epiphany of how she treats others and then immediately comes home to rectify her mistakes. Supposedly, she finds her true self in Ireland.
I didn't buy it. What is nothing more than a personal homage to Ireland by McCarthy is poorly disguised as an angst-ridden journey of self discovery. Though she goes across to Ireland in search of answers, she doesn't find anything more than some more characters who serve very little purpose to the plot.
The main relationship between Kit and Leonie is barely resolved at the end of the book. It makes no sense. Why would McCarthy, someone who can clearly write prose very well, not resolve the main tension in the book in a way that is satisfying to the reader?
Do yourself a favour. Buy a guide book to Ireland.
1/5
February 12, 2023
This one has been sitting on my bookshelf for a long time. I started it many times but never persevered long enough to reach the end. I managed it this time!
I would rate Maureen McCarthy as one of my favorite authors. Unfortunately, with When You Wake And Find Me Gone, she's not managed one likeable character.
Kit was whiny, ungrateful and just downright rude and inconsiderate. Secondary characters were all to stereotype. And the plot itself was anticlimactic.
I would rate Maureen McCarthy as one of my favorite authors. Unfortunately, with When You Wake And Find Me Gone, she's not managed one likeable character.
Kit was whiny, ungrateful and just downright rude and inconsiderate. Secondary characters were all to stereotype. And the plot itself was anticlimactic.
October 21, 2022
When You Wake and Find Me Gone (2002) is an oldie from the TBR. I bought it because Maureen McCarthy's name was familiar from her bestselling novel Queen Kat, Carmel and St Jude Get a Life (1995) which was made into a mini-series. A script-writer and novelist, she seems to write mainly YA, and the preoccupations of When You Wake and Fine Me Gone would be in that territory except that at 425 pages, it seems overlong for that market.
All throughout time there have been children who have had to struggle with the problem of whether it's possible to love a parent who's committed a heinous crime, but Mary McCarthy's attempt at dealing with this issue is naïve and unsatisfactory.
#SpoilerAlert
The central character, Kit, is the daughter of terrorists involved in the sectarian violence of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. She doesn't know this for much of the novel, but when she does, she never really wrestles with the horror of knowing what her parents have done. She is more preoccupied with her infatuation with a university lecturer, with her conflicted relationship with Leonie, the older sister who turns out to be her mother, and with the identity issues that flow from that.
When the novel opens, Kit is at university in the city, living in a grubby sharehouse with friends Tam and Brendan (who has Irish heritage too.) By chance she attends a lecture on terrorism and captivated as much by Sebastian the lecturer as she is by the topic of intractable international conflicts, she switches from literature to politics and also gets the lead role in a university play directed by Sebastian.
So when she gets a phone call from upcountry to tell her to come home because her sister Leonie has been involved in a car accident and may die, she refuses because she can't let down the cast of the forthcoming play. The plot makes its way through far too many pages of angst-ridden pleas from family and friends who try to make her realise that her priorities are misplaced. All of these pleas are focussed on her relationship with the possibly dying and probably brain-damaged Leonie, and not at all about her responsibility to provide loving support to her anguished family. This spectacular selfishness is justified in the novel by Kit's resentment about Leonie's on-and-off presence in her life.
Kit is not some giddy 15 year old. She is 20.
The circuit-breaker for this impasse is her older brother Johnny, the one who is studying to be a priest. It is he who breaks the news to her that Leonie is not her older sister, but her mother. Everyone else has known that she was born illegitimate in Northern Ireland, so they have all been lying to her, but no one knows who the father is.
But there are 425 pages to fill, and so by a series of fortunate events, including a benefactor to pay her expenses, Kit abandons her family in extremis and goes off to Northern Ireland to find the father she has never met.
All throughout time there have been children who have had to struggle with the problem of whether it's possible to love a parent who's committed a heinous crime, but Mary McCarthy's attempt at dealing with this issue is naïve and unsatisfactory.
#SpoilerAlert
The central character, Kit, is the daughter of terrorists involved in the sectarian violence of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. She doesn't know this for much of the novel, but when she does, she never really wrestles with the horror of knowing what her parents have done. She is more preoccupied with her infatuation with a university lecturer, with her conflicted relationship with Leonie, the older sister who turns out to be her mother, and with the identity issues that flow from that.
When the novel opens, Kit is at university in the city, living in a grubby sharehouse with friends Tam and Brendan (who has Irish heritage too.) By chance she attends a lecture on terrorism and captivated as much by Sebastian the lecturer as she is by the topic of intractable international conflicts, she switches from literature to politics and also gets the lead role in a university play directed by Sebastian.
So when she gets a phone call from upcountry to tell her to come home because her sister Leonie has been involved in a car accident and may die, she refuses because she can't let down the cast of the forthcoming play. The plot makes its way through far too many pages of angst-ridden pleas from family and friends who try to make her realise that her priorities are misplaced. All of these pleas are focussed on her relationship with the possibly dying and probably brain-damaged Leonie, and not at all about her responsibility to provide loving support to her anguished family. This spectacular selfishness is justified in the novel by Kit's resentment about Leonie's on-and-off presence in her life.
Kit is not some giddy 15 year old. She is 20.
The circuit-breaker for this impasse is her older brother Johnny, the one who is studying to be a priest. It is he who breaks the news to her that Leonie is not her older sister, but her mother. Everyone else has known that she was born illegitimate in Northern Ireland, so they have all been lying to her, but no one knows who the father is.
But there are 425 pages to fill, and so by a series of fortunate events, including a benefactor to pay her expenses, Kit abandons her family in extremis and goes off to Northern Ireland to find the father she has never met.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2020
‘When you wake and find me gone’ by Maureen McCarthy is a book that I’ve read and re-read. Having a look at other reviews on Good Reads they’re pretty mixed, but I have to say I love this book. Yes the protagonist Kit may come across as a bit self centred, but she’s a twenty year old girl out on her own for the first time, exploring life - how could the world not revolve around her!? And I do think she matures over the course of the book.
I love this book for the storyline, the historical elements interwoven (the Troubles in Ireland), and the sweet conclusion.
I love this book for the storyline, the historical elements interwoven (the Troubles in Ireland), and the sweet conclusion.
August 15, 2018
Beautifully written and very easy to read, building a momentum and curiosity for the reader write from the start. I found the element of Irish history and the impact it has had and still has on individuals and the nation, moving, informative and thought provoking.
Where is the line in the sand for each of us? Will justice and politics ever be able to honestly perceive both sides when drawing lines in the sand over right and wrong?
Where is the line in the sand for each of us? Will justice and politics ever be able to honestly perceive both sides when drawing lines in the sand over right and wrong?
July 15, 2019
I so wanted to like this book, and I really did in the beginning. Maureen McCarthy is a very eloquent writer, and having lived in both Ireland and Melbourne, I loved recognizing places in her writing.
But about halfway in, when Kit still hadn't gone to Ireland, I was feeling bored. Kit was not a very likeable protagonist, most of the time feeling sorry for herself. Similar to other reviews, I wanted to see it through to the end, but didn't feel anything once I got there.
But about halfway in, when Kit still hadn't gone to Ireland, I was feeling bored. Kit was not a very likeable protagonist, most of the time feeling sorry for herself. Similar to other reviews, I wanted to see it through to the end, but didn't feel anything once I got there.
April 30, 2020
I couldn’t finish this. I got halfway through and couldn’t read any further. The characters are so dull and one sided with no development at all. The writing is overly wordy and just not well written. I wanted to know what happened in the end, I just can’t stick this out. Wouldn’t recommend at all.
September 26, 2022
Roman, ki se uvršča med mladinska dela. Glavna protagonistka je vpeta v študij in prve ljubezni, ko prejme novico, da je njena sestra v prometni nesreči hudo poškodovana. In vse se spremeni. Kathleen je soočena z novo resnico in se poda na raziskovanja o tem, kdo je njen oče in o njegovi državi ter materini preteklosti. Zelo dober prvi del, konec pa nekoliko nedodelan.
June 7, 2019
I love everything that Maureen McCarthy writes. Her characters are so gutsy. I will definitely be reading more.
February 9, 2009
How would you react if you found out that your only sister, the one person you once idolised, but then let you down big time, was actually your mother?
Twenty year old Kit has just found out her sister is her mother meaning the two people she'd always thought were her parents are actually her grandparents, and her real father is somewhere in the depths of Ireland.
The book teaches you about forgiveness, understanding, love and the violence of the "wars" in Ireland. Although long winded at times, the story itself is intriguing, especially as Kit begins to understand who her mother was and her father still is.
"So how did you meet him? I hear you asking.
Was it love at first sight? Was he a fellow teacher?
Did you meet in a pub?
This might be hard to believe, but the first time I
looked into your father's eyes, he was holding a gun to
my head.
But first, let me explain . . ." (Extract from book)
Twenty year old Kit has just found out her sister is her mother meaning the two people she'd always thought were her parents are actually her grandparents, and her real father is somewhere in the depths of Ireland.
The book teaches you about forgiveness, understanding, love and the violence of the "wars" in Ireland. Although long winded at times, the story itself is intriguing, especially as Kit begins to understand who her mother was and her father still is.
"So how did you meet him? I hear you asking.
Was it love at first sight? Was he a fellow teacher?
Did you meet in a pub?
This might be hard to believe, but the first time I
looked into your father's eyes, he was holding a gun to
my head.
But first, let me explain . . ." (Extract from book)
December 26, 2011
This one will stay with me for awhile. It is one of those lovely books that make you want to read others to learn more details. This deals with the "troubles" of Northern Ireland, more specifically Belfast, and the different forms of protest the Republicans participated in. It gives a face to the terrorists and shows the struggle of those who love them. The only downside is that it is only available in Australia. I subscribe to a blog (Inkcrush) that has put me on to several great Australian writers. It can be ordered from fishpondworld.com for just the price of the book. Shipping is always free.
June 25, 2015
"When you wake and find me gone" started of excellently. I was excited to read about Kit's life, her friends and family and then I noticed something. Kit is and extremely self-centered character, to the point that you feel like she's the annoying girl that you know that constantly brings the conversation topic to herself. She wants everyone to devoted their time listening to her problems but whenever they attempt to talk to her about their own she shuts them down and doesn't want to hear it. She wants everyone to be in a perfect mood and to be ready at anytime to focus solely on her. This character flaw developed slowly but once I noticed it there was no going back!
December 20, 2011
FIRST IMPRESSION:
Beautiful title. The cover's pretty also.
WRITING STYLE:
Maureen McCarthy is one of my favourite writers of all time. Beautiful, flowing writing.
PLOT:
She makes the most absurd things believable.
CHARACTERS:
Loved all their personalities. And her main character, Kit, is very realistic.
OVERALL:
This is a beautiful read for anybody who wants to read a story which is set a little back in time. It's beautiful and conquers the true meaning of friendship and love.
AMOUNT OF STARS:
4
Beautiful title. The cover's pretty also.
WRITING STYLE:
Maureen McCarthy is one of my favourite writers of all time. Beautiful, flowing writing.
PLOT:
She makes the most absurd things believable.
CHARACTERS:
Loved all their personalities. And her main character, Kit, is very realistic.
OVERALL:
This is a beautiful read for anybody who wants to read a story which is set a little back in time. It's beautiful and conquers the true meaning of friendship and love.
AMOUNT OF STARS:
4
September 19, 2016
Self-centered main character, plot that started but just didn't feel entirely finished or well done, half-baked romances and sappy love stories.
The book just felt incomplete, in my opinion.
Almost every chapter ended with "Everything was getting better. So many possibilities!" etc and then by the end of the next chapter it went "Things were horrible." This happened so many times. God, Kit could be infuriating.
The book was... meh.
The book just felt incomplete, in my opinion.
Almost every chapter ended with "Everything was getting better. So many possibilities!" etc and then by the end of the next chapter it went "Things were horrible." This happened so many times. God, Kit could be infuriating.
The book was... meh.
February 2, 2015
Tells the story of a girl who after an accident finds out her mother is actually her grandmother and her sister is her mother so she packs off to Ireland in search of her father. The story was quite emotional. It also gives a lot of information about the conflict in Northern Ireland which I didn't know a lot about before reading this book. It's an okay read but not one I'm likely to reread.
May 30, 2021
I've started reading this one a few times and it just doesn't grab me. Maybe I havent persisted enough with it, but I don't have a lot of time for books I have to persist with. I might come back to it one day.
January 19, 2011
Really enjoyed this book. Liked that I could relate to the University life of the characters. Also liked the fact that I learnt so much about Ireland through reading this book.
September 18, 2015
Str. 171 (2. del)- Ne pusti, da bi bilo vse zaman. Ne smejo me zadovoljiti MAJHNE, neumne stvari. TUDI JAZ SE ŽELIM BORITI
April 28, 2008
Good book with a lot of history about Ireland!
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December 14, 2018i think i read in either 2013 or 2014, dont really remember what i thought about it
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews