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Lies of Silence: A Novel
Shortlisted for the Man Booker An unhappy marriage is further shaken when IRA terrorists invade the couple’s home in this “first rate” thriller (The New York Times).
Michael Dillon, a self-described “poet in a business suit,” is a once-aspiring writer in Belfast whose dreams have been consumed by a stultifying career as a hotel manager and a hateful marriage to his unstable wife, Moira. But on the day he decides to leave Moira for his younger lover and take off for London, IRA terrorists break into the Dillon home. Their plan is They’ll hold Moira hostage while Michael plants a bomb designed to kill a rabble-rousing Protestant and his flock convening for a political rally. If Michael goes to the police, Moira dies. It’s only the first choice of many—because in Brian Moore’s “breathtakingly constructed” nightmare, the day has just begun (Los Angeles Times).
“The plot [is] one that only a spoiler would reveal—and risk ruining the surprises that detonate throughout the novel like cleverly hidden and elegantly designed incendiary devices. The notion of ‘unbearable suspense’ is, of course, a cliché, but I found that I kept briefly putting down the novel to postpone the moment when I had to face what might happen next.” —Francine Prose, The New York Times
Michael Dillon, a self-described “poet in a business suit,” is a once-aspiring writer in Belfast whose dreams have been consumed by a stultifying career as a hotel manager and a hateful marriage to his unstable wife, Moira. But on the day he decides to leave Moira for his younger lover and take off for London, IRA terrorists break into the Dillon home. Their plan is They’ll hold Moira hostage while Michael plants a bomb designed to kill a rabble-rousing Protestant and his flock convening for a political rally. If Michael goes to the police, Moira dies. It’s only the first choice of many—because in Brian Moore’s “breathtakingly constructed” nightmare, the day has just begun (Los Angeles Times).
“The plot [is] one that only a spoiler would reveal—and risk ruining the surprises that detonate throughout the novel like cleverly hidden and elegantly designed incendiary devices. The notion of ‘unbearable suspense’ is, of course, a cliché, but I found that I kept briefly putting down the novel to postpone the moment when I had to face what might happen next.” —Francine Prose, The New York Times
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1990
152 people are currently reading
1492 people want to read
About the author
Brian Moore
160 books169 followersBrian Moore (1921–1999) was born into a large, devoutly Catholic family in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His father was a surgeon and lecturer, and his mother had been a nurse. Moore left Ireland during World War II and in 1948 moved to Canada, where he worked for the Montreal Gazette, married his first wife, and began to write potboilers under various pen names, as he would continue to do throughout the 1950s.
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1955, now available as an NYRB Classic), said to have been rejected by a dozen publishers, was the first book Moore published under his own name, and it was followed by nineteen subsequent novels written in a broad range of modes and styles, from the realistic to the historical to the quasi-fantastical, including The Luck of Ginger Coffey, An Answer from Limbo, The Emperor of Ice Cream, I Am Mary Dunne, Catholics, Black Robe, and The Statement. Three novels—Lies of Silence, The Colour of Blood, and The Magician’s Wife—were short-listed for the Booker Prize, and The Great Victorian Collection won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.
After adapting The Luck of Ginger Coffey for film in 1964, Moore moved to California to work on the script for Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain. He remained in Malibu for the rest of his life, remarrying there and teaching at UCLA for some fifteen years. Shortly before his death, Moore wrote, “There are those stateless wanderers who, finding the larger world into which they have stumbled vast, varied and exciting, become confused in their loyalties and lose their sense of home. I am one of those wanderers.”
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1955, now available as an NYRB Classic), said to have been rejected by a dozen publishers, was the first book Moore published under his own name, and it was followed by nineteen subsequent novels written in a broad range of modes and styles, from the realistic to the historical to the quasi-fantastical, including The Luck of Ginger Coffey, An Answer from Limbo, The Emperor of Ice Cream, I Am Mary Dunne, Catholics, Black Robe, and The Statement. Three novels—Lies of Silence, The Colour of Blood, and The Magician’s Wife—were short-listed for the Booker Prize, and The Great Victorian Collection won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.
After adapting The Luck of Ginger Coffey for film in 1964, Moore moved to California to work on the script for Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain. He remained in Malibu for the rest of his life, remarrying there and teaching at UCLA for some fifteen years. Shortly before his death, Moore wrote, “There are those stateless wanderers who, finding the larger world into which they have stumbled vast, varied and exciting, become confused in their loyalties and lose their sense of home. I am one of those wanderers.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 224 reviews
July 1, 2017
This was my final book from the 1990 Booker shortlist, which I have been reading as part of a project by The Mookse and the Gripes group. It is a gripping and horrific tale of a hotel manager caught up in an IRA plot.
Michael Dillon is the manager of a Belfast hotel which is due to host a loyalist firebrand who must be modelled on Ian Paisley. He is planning to leave his wife and go to England with a young Canadian, when he is visited at home by masked IRA terrorists who demand that he leaves his car (which they have armed with a bomb) outside the hotel, while they hold his wife hostage with the threat to kill her if he does not comply. The book follows the moral dilemmas that they face. It is not a long book, but it is very difficult to put down.
Michael Dillon is the manager of a Belfast hotel which is due to host a loyalist firebrand who must be modelled on Ian Paisley. He is planning to leave his wife and go to England with a young Canadian, when he is visited at home by masked IRA terrorists who demand that he leaves his car (which they have armed with a bomb) outside the hotel, while they hold his wife hostage with the threat to kill her if he does not comply. The book follows the moral dilemmas that they face. It is not a long book, but it is very difficult to put down.
March 10, 2019
He looked up at the masked face [of the IRA gunman] : “We usually take a pint” …. They waited in silence, hearing the footsteps of the milkman crossing the avenue coming in their direction. There was the sound of their front gate opening, the chink of bottles, and the gate shut again. The van moved on.
I read this as part of the 2019 Mookse Madness tournament.
This book shortlisted for the 1990 Booker prize is an examination of the troubles in Northern Ireland and features a literal milkman (as seen in the quote above), a rather nice link to the winner of the 2018 Booker Prize Anna Burns “Milkman”.
Michael Dillon, has reluctantly returned to Belfast from London, asked by his hotel group to turn around a faous hotel in the City. Dillon is having an affair with a young Canadian BBC journalist and, when she is offered a job with the BBC in London, he promises her he will tell his glamorous, bulimic wife Moira (who by congtrast to him was delighted to return to Northern Ireland) that he is leaving her and will ask to be transferred back to London. That night however Dillon is ordered by the IRA - at the threat of them killing Moira - to park his car at the hotel, so they can detonate a bomb they have placed in it.
Brian Moore’s early novels, published in Canada, were thrillers before he moved on to more literary fiction. This novel seemed to me to be an uneary compromise - effectively the worst of both worlds:
A thriller style set up but without very much of the thrill (the plot slightly too dominated literary style by important decisions which are waived or postponed) - or coherence (Dillon is paraniod about being followed on a drive, and about IRA people being undercover, which is understandable given what has happened to him but does not explain why pages earlier he allowed a man he did not know to speak to him privately just because he is wearing an Ulster lapel badge).
But one which is too often drifts into the rather straightforward and explosition (sic) heavy writing style of a thriller.
In respect of the latter the comparison to Anna Burns novel does not to this book any favour
Compare and contrast:
Mr Harbison would never fight a civiil war to prevent Ulster from becoming a part of the Irish Republic, or take up arms to affirm his status as a citizen of the United Kingdom. Mr Harbison, like ninety per cent of the people of Ulster, Catholic and Protestant, just wanted to get on with his life without any interference from men in woolen masks.
To the distinctive literary voice of:
At this time, in this place, when it came to the political problems, which included bombs and guns and death and maiming, ordinary people said ‘their side did it’ or ‘our side did it’, or ‘their religion did it’ or ‘our religion did it’ or ‘they did it’ or ‘we did it’, when what was really meant was ‘defenders-of-the-state did it’ or ‘renouncers-of-the-state did it’ or ‘the state did it’. Now and then we might make an effort and say ‘defender’ or ‘renouncer ….. that flag of the country from ‘over the water’ which was also the same flag of the community from ‘over the road’.
A contrast which was unfortunately rather shadowed in the opening with:
“At a quarter to nine, just before going to work, Dillon went down to reception to check the staff roster for tomorrow”
As opposed to:
The day Somebody McSomebody put a gun to my breast and called me a cat and threatened to shoot me was the same day the milkman died. He had been shot by one of the state hit squads and I did not care about the shooting of this man. Others did care though, and some were those who, in the parlance, ‘knew me to see but not to speak to’
Overall this was an enjoyable and easy reading novel - one which shows the difficult/impossible choices/compromises which can be forced in the political arena, but one which in a literary sense is flattered not just by a link to Anna Burns but by the company it kept on the 1990 Booker prize in a year whose included “Possession”, “A Gate of Angels” and “An Awfully Big Adventure”.
August 31, 2011
What a load of garbage! The characters were shallow and two dimentional, the setting and atmosphere was dull as dishwater and by the time I put this book down I was seriously depressed.
And the worst part, I had to finish it as it was part of my comparative study course in English.
Anyone with a choice should run for the hills before picking this one up.
And the worst part, I had to finish it as it was part of my comparative study course in English.
Anyone with a choice should run for the hills before picking this one up.
December 6, 2019
Brian Moore’s Lies of Silence revolves around a youngish married couple in Northern Ireland, Moira a housewife, Michael a hotel manager. They each have their disappointments. Moira’s beautiful, feels unappreciated and unloved for reasons beyond her attractiveness, and is bulimic. Michael’s abandoned his dream of supporting his poetry through teaching, and disappointed by following his father’s career as an hotel manager. Moira and Michael’s marriage is cold and loveless. Its dissolution plays out against the horrors of an IRA operation, bringing to the fore Moira and Michael’s moral and marital confusion.
Lies of Silence features Brian Moore’s spare and direct prose. Moore relentlessly advances his narrative, as if he wants to insure that his prose doesn’t distract from the force of his plot. I previously read Lies of Silence about six years ago and I reread it now because a GR friend reminded me of the strengths of Moore’s The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne. Lies of Silence proved just as exciting and as affecting on my second reading as on my first.
Lies of Silence features Brian Moore’s spare and direct prose. Moore relentlessly advances his narrative, as if he wants to insure that his prose doesn’t distract from the force of his plot. I previously read Lies of Silence about six years ago and I reread it now because a GR friend reminded me of the strengths of Moore’s The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne. Lies of Silence proved just as exciting and as affecting on my second reading as on my first.
September 24, 2015
The moral dilemmas that we face under conflict are brought out brilliantly in this novel set in the ‘80’s during the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland.
Michael Dillon, a poet turned hotel manager, is coming to the end of his marriage to his beautiful but bulimic wife Moira. Being Catholic, divorce is an ugly word, and severely frowned upon by his parents. Yet Michael has fallen for a much younger Canadian woman and is about to decamp with her for London. On the eve of him telling his wife that he is leaving her, their home is invaded by the IRA. Michael is ordered to drive a bomb in his car back to his hotel the following morning. His choice is clear: kill many people at the hotel, including some prominent Protestant agitators, and save Moira from being killed by their captors, or vice versa.
The plot moves through the quotidian activities of going to work, returning home, moving about the claustrophobic city of Belfast with its myriad military checkpoints and “watchers”, and all the while this activity is infused by a sense of menace, that something will go wrong, something will end. Dialogue is also very conversational, mirroring normal life, and yet we know that nothing in this place is normal.
By placing his characters in this crucible of doom, Moore explores key themes: the moral choices made under stress, the artist who gives up his vocation to earn a paycheque, the pervasiveness of religion in Irish society, falling in love only for superficial beauty, needy love that skirts physical danger, and the lies of silence. The “lies” are what this community has been living with, for the IRA and its Protestant counterpart, the UDA, have lost credibility with the local populace and are seen as thugs and bullies, no longer advocating on their behalf. And yet, no one is prepared to take on the IRA for fear of being harmed.
The events with the bombing force Michael, and Moira, into making another moral choice: to confront the lies and strike back, each in their own way, each to the other’s detriment. And the last half of the book moves towards the outcome of that decision.
I was left wondering that if cell phones were ubiquitous then as they are today, much of the plot of this novel would have had to be re-worked, and even the outcome may have been different. And whether in Michael Dillon’s day those who looked terrorism in the eye had much of a chance for global media attention as the Malala Yousafzai’s of today have? Moore’s conclusion also points to why he gave up on his native country, adopted Canadian citizenship, and lived abroad for the rest of his life.
Michael Dillon, a poet turned hotel manager, is coming to the end of his marriage to his beautiful but bulimic wife Moira. Being Catholic, divorce is an ugly word, and severely frowned upon by his parents. Yet Michael has fallen for a much younger Canadian woman and is about to decamp with her for London. On the eve of him telling his wife that he is leaving her, their home is invaded by the IRA. Michael is ordered to drive a bomb in his car back to his hotel the following morning. His choice is clear: kill many people at the hotel, including some prominent Protestant agitators, and save Moira from being killed by their captors, or vice versa.
The plot moves through the quotidian activities of going to work, returning home, moving about the claustrophobic city of Belfast with its myriad military checkpoints and “watchers”, and all the while this activity is infused by a sense of menace, that something will go wrong, something will end. Dialogue is also very conversational, mirroring normal life, and yet we know that nothing in this place is normal.
By placing his characters in this crucible of doom, Moore explores key themes: the moral choices made under stress, the artist who gives up his vocation to earn a paycheque, the pervasiveness of religion in Irish society, falling in love only for superficial beauty, needy love that skirts physical danger, and the lies of silence. The “lies” are what this community has been living with, for the IRA and its Protestant counterpart, the UDA, have lost credibility with the local populace and are seen as thugs and bullies, no longer advocating on their behalf. And yet, no one is prepared to take on the IRA for fear of being harmed.
The events with the bombing force Michael, and Moira, into making another moral choice: to confront the lies and strike back, each in their own way, each to the other’s detriment. And the last half of the book moves towards the outcome of that decision.
I was left wondering that if cell phones were ubiquitous then as they are today, much of the plot of this novel would have had to be re-worked, and even the outcome may have been different. And whether in Michael Dillon’s day those who looked terrorism in the eye had much of a chance for global media attention as the Malala Yousafzai’s of today have? Moore’s conclusion also points to why he gave up on his native country, adopted Canadian citizenship, and lived abroad for the rest of his life.
October 28, 2021
In the middle of a summer night, an IRA gang break into the home of a suburban couple. The man is told to drive his car, planted with a bomb, to the hotel where he works and to park it under the banquet room. To ensure that he carries out his instructions, that he does not notify the police, they will hold his wife hostage until the deed is completed. This begins a string of suspenseful events, of moral dilemmas, for all involved. In a relatively short book, Moore gave us complex characters, complicated social and ethical situations and an engaging plot.
July 6, 2017
Lies of Silence is very much a book of its time. In 1990 the "Troubles" in Ireland were very much part of daily life and daily news. Brian Moore's central theme revolves around personal conscience, personal dilemma, personal conflicting interests; this is a universal quandary which can be applied to many of us, in a variety of circumstances. The Northern Ireland backdrop, though, is unique. Moore captures the atmosphere in Belfast in 1990 perfectly:
Sectarian conflict
"a Catholic would never get a job if a Protestant was up for it" (101)
Political paralysis:
"Lies told over the years to poor Protestant working people, lies told to poor Catholic working people....lies at funerals and orations, and, above all, lies of silence from those in Westminster who did not want to face the injustices of Ulster's status quo." (49)
I read this book as part of The Mookse and The Gripes group revisit of the 1990 Booker shortlist.
It's fascinating to revisit previous writing eras collectively, and the 1980 list featured No Country for Young Men; also a parable of the times in Ireland.
Against such a backdrop I think that Lies of Silence is an excellent read, and makes me deeply thoughtful about recent history, and the nature of religion and peoples commitments to causes that feel and look very different looking backwards in time.
Sectarian conflict
"a Catholic would never get a job if a Protestant was up for it" (101)
Political paralysis:
"Lies told over the years to poor Protestant working people, lies told to poor Catholic working people....lies at funerals and orations, and, above all, lies of silence from those in Westminster who did not want to face the injustices of Ulster's status quo." (49)
I read this book as part of The Mookse and The Gripes group revisit of the 1990 Booker shortlist.
It's fascinating to revisit previous writing eras collectively, and the 1980 list featured No Country for Young Men; also a parable of the times in Ireland.
Against such a backdrop I think that Lies of Silence is an excellent read, and makes me deeply thoughtful about recent history, and the nature of religion and peoples commitments to causes that feel and look very different looking backwards in time.
November 22, 2019
Taut, with all the clarity of a Graham Greene novel. A couple kidnapped by the IRA; the man forced to plant a bomb. Everything goes wrong, but the consequences play out beautifully. Having picked a huge subject, Moore doesn’t overplay his hand. He concentrates on the small moral dilemmas and does it brilliantly. Such a great writer.
January 9, 2020
An interesting, fast paced, plot twisting, concise, short read about the consequences of an IRA action in Belfast in the 1980s.(?) Michael Dillon and his wife Moira are taken prisoners in their house in the early hours of the morning. Michael is ordered by the IRA to park his car with a bomb attached, outside the Belfast Hotel that Michael is the manager of. His wife is held hostage. Michael is informed that if he doesn’t do exactly as ordered his wife would be killed. Added to this is Michael’s adulterous affair with Canadian journalist Andrea and Michael’s neurotic wife, Moira.
This book was shortlisted for the 1990 Booker Prize.
August 30, 2010
This going to be more of a rant..but I really need to let my feelings out. I think this is one of the worst books I've read in ages (the only reason I finished it was because it's for school). The characters are boring and I really didn't care for them throughout the book. The pacing was terrible and I wasn't "gripped" by anything that happened. The author actually managed to make the whole plot incredibly dull. The whole thing was dragged out so much that I was anticipating for a good twist at the end but was disappointed. He was shot - oh wow. He deserved it. He was an annoying, indecisive bastard. His wife was equally irritating. Keep away from this book :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2021
I'm reading a selection of Brian Moore's novels in 2021 for the Brian Moore at 100 centenary and this was the book planned for January.
I wrote a blog post about Brian Moore, my interest in the project and the planned monthly reading schedule (1 book per month) here.
Lies of Silence is the story of a disenchanted man, a man who reluctantly returned to Northern Ireland from London with his wife Moira, who was keen to return. Now he is the manager of a hotel, a job he doesn't particularly like, having left his poetry aspirations far behind him, following int he footsteps of his father, a man he feels resentment towards.
Unsurprisingly, his personal life has become entangled and just as the unspoken issues simmering below this relationship are about to boil over, he and his wife are taken hostage in their own home, he to be used as a pawn in what unfolds as a complex, thought out plan. In the midst of the initial drama Michael sees his neighbour, a retired bank manager leave with his dog for a walk, seeing in him the average, everyman and woman who just wants to get on with life without interference from "men in woolen masks".
Under threat, as he moves towards doing what has been asked of him, he faces an excruciating moral dilemma, and a situation that spirals him into further confusion and deliberations over what the "right thing to do" is.
It's something of a page turner, while not holding back on expressing the tensions and opinions of various characters in this complex, often not well understood political environment.
It's also clear that Moore is as keen on seeking revenge with his pen, as much as his characters do with whatever is at their disposal, his distance from the home country giving him a freedom and inclination to provoke, inform and stir the troubled pot, so to speak.
I wrote a blog post about Brian Moore, my interest in the project and the planned monthly reading schedule (1 book per month) here.
Lies of Silence is the story of a disenchanted man, a man who reluctantly returned to Northern Ireland from London with his wife Moira, who was keen to return. Now he is the manager of a hotel, a job he doesn't particularly like, having left his poetry aspirations far behind him, following int he footsteps of his father, a man he feels resentment towards.
Unsurprisingly, his personal life has become entangled and just as the unspoken issues simmering below this relationship are about to boil over, he and his wife are taken hostage in their own home, he to be used as a pawn in what unfolds as a complex, thought out plan. In the midst of the initial drama Michael sees his neighbour, a retired bank manager leave with his dog for a walk, seeing in him the average, everyman and woman who just wants to get on with life without interference from "men in woolen masks".
Watching him go off with his dog, Dillon felt anger rise within him, anger at the lies which had made this, his and Mr Harbinger's birthplace, sick with a terrible illness of bigotry and injustice, lies told over the years to poor Protestant working people about the Catholics, lies told to poor Catholic working people about the Protestants, lies from parliaments and pulpits, lies at rallies and funeral orations, and, above all, the lies of silence from those in Westminster who did not want to face the injustice of Ulster's status quo. Angry, he stared across the room at the most dangerous victims of these lies, his youthful, ignorant, murderous, captors
Under threat, as he moves towards doing what has been asked of him, he faces an excruciating moral dilemma, and a situation that spirals him into further confusion and deliberations over what the "right thing to do" is.
It's something of a page turner, while not holding back on expressing the tensions and opinions of various characters in this complex, often not well understood political environment.
It's also clear that Moore is as keen on seeking revenge with his pen, as much as his characters do with whatever is at their disposal, his distance from the home country giving him a freedom and inclination to provoke, inform and stir the troubled pot, so to speak.
February 8, 2011
Brian Moore paints a beautifully ugly image of the trouble in 80’s Belfast with its interesting landscapes and dark fearful undertones. The protagonist Michael Dillon is a middle class man who is married to Moira a physically stunning but emotionally wooden bulimic lady from Belfast. Dillon is thrown into a nightmare where he must make a vital decision kill 1 person or kill 20 innocent people. This is a heart thumping book which touches on love, lust, pain and politics. “Lies of Silence” starts with the action staying clear of flowery descriptions “At a quarter to nine, just before going off work”. It is well written in the third person and the point of view is that of Dillon. The writing is simplistic and realistic which makes it easier for the reader to empathise with Dillon. It is a type of book which when picked up there is great difficulty in putting it back down.
Unlike most books, the climax occurs at the beginning, the rest of the story shows the after-effects of such decisions. This leaves the reader left oblivious to what is going to take place later on. As the plot unfolds the reader finds themselves creating a relationship with the protagonist, who at times seems somewhat like an anti-hero. The conversations between characters seem almost life like due to the fact that Brian Moore leaves it up to the reader to figure out who’s speaking. The language is simple and at times almost mirrors the emotional state of the protagonist. Through Dillon and Moira, the reader might assume that Moore is giving his own opinions on the IRA and on Northern Ireland itself, portraying England as a place of escape.
This novel is for anyone who likes thrillers, romance novels and even historical/political literature, a must read with a spine chilling ending.
Unlike most books, the climax occurs at the beginning, the rest of the story shows the after-effects of such decisions. This leaves the reader left oblivious to what is going to take place later on. As the plot unfolds the reader finds themselves creating a relationship with the protagonist, who at times seems somewhat like an anti-hero. The conversations between characters seem almost life like due to the fact that Brian Moore leaves it up to the reader to figure out who’s speaking. The language is simple and at times almost mirrors the emotional state of the protagonist. Through Dillon and Moira, the reader might assume that Moore is giving his own opinions on the IRA and on Northern Ireland itself, portraying England as a place of escape.
This novel is for anyone who likes thrillers, romance novels and even historical/political literature, a must read with a spine chilling ending.
January 16, 2021
The year of 2021 is the centenary of Brian Moore's birth. The writer Jan Carson is leading a Read-Along of Moore's books this year, and this novel is the choice for January. It is a tightly written portrait of a man caught in a dilemma. It is 1990 in Belfast, and paramilitaries continue to terrorize local citizens. Michael Dillon, manager of the finest hotel in the city, has been having an affair. On the eve of acting on his decision of what to do, something happens. Now he is fighting for his life and the life of his wife.
This book reveals Moore's ability to construct a thrilling story. He was known for his talent at portraying women who were dissatisfied with their lives. His portrayal of Moira Dillon is another exhibition of his skill. She is complex, brave, angry, and not a woman to second guess. I couldn't put this book down. It is the product of a writer who knows this city and the city of The Troubles.
Highly recommended.
This book reveals Moore's ability to construct a thrilling story. He was known for his talent at portraying women who were dissatisfied with their lives. His portrayal of Moira Dillon is another exhibition of his skill. She is complex, brave, angry, and not a woman to second guess. I couldn't put this book down. It is the product of a writer who knows this city and the city of The Troubles.
Highly recommended.
August 21, 2021
Class read with my 10th after recommended by former colleague. Will not be reading this again, although important in terms of history of Northern Ireland / troubles, I found the main character too misogynistic and the love triangle not a good fit for my students. Will be choosing something else coming year.
January 31, 2022
Læst til skolen... det eneste gode ved den var at han dør til sidst
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2025
Psychologisch gut geschriebenes Drama über die Unmöglichkeit, der Bestimmung zu entgehen, die durch die politische Geschichte der I.R.A. dem Einzelnen aufgeprägt wird.
October 22, 2022
Well-conceived if slightly meandering even at such a short length. The picture drawn of the IRA is of bumbling, immature thugs which was a choice that kept this reader at arm's length. Moore did pull of the perfect, right ending without a word too many
November 22, 2014
This is the fifth of Brian Moore's novels that I've read, having come to him late, on the recommendation of current NI authors, and once again, I was greatly impressed by his storytelling ability.
The novel, published in 1990, is the most contemporary of Moore's works that I've read so far, and follows Michael Dillon, manager of the Clarence Hotel (situated, from reading, on the site the Wellington Park Hotel in Belfast) as he prepares to make a life changing decision concerning his marriage to Moira, but ends up having another one thrust upon him by an IRA gang that occupies his home and forces him to drive a bomb into the car park of his workplace.
This was my first experience of Moore writing about the Troubles, and I found that he portrayed the underlying threat posed by the terrorists in the book extremely well. Dillon's time with the terror gang is short, but the repercussions of his actions, albeit only shown over a couple of days, are great, and the moral questions he is asked and the confusion these generate within him is documented expertly by Moore. Belfast isn't portrayed quite so forensically as I've seen in his previous work, but it's still a novel of the city, it's people and landmarks this time recreated in a dark time. Meanwhile, as with his other novels, Moore keeps things going pace wise, and I found myself completely immersed in the last 50 pages, anxious to find out what the conclusion would be-I wasn't disappointed.
I can understand why this was shortlisted for the Booker prize on its release, and my enjoyment of the book has given me all the encouragement I need to push on to read more of Moore's work.
The novel, published in 1990, is the most contemporary of Moore's works that I've read so far, and follows Michael Dillon, manager of the Clarence Hotel (situated, from reading, on the site the Wellington Park Hotel in Belfast) as he prepares to make a life changing decision concerning his marriage to Moira, but ends up having another one thrust upon him by an IRA gang that occupies his home and forces him to drive a bomb into the car park of his workplace.
This was my first experience of Moore writing about the Troubles, and I found that he portrayed the underlying threat posed by the terrorists in the book extremely well. Dillon's time with the terror gang is short, but the repercussions of his actions, albeit only shown over a couple of days, are great, and the moral questions he is asked and the confusion these generate within him is documented expertly by Moore. Belfast isn't portrayed quite so forensically as I've seen in his previous work, but it's still a novel of the city, it's people and landmarks this time recreated in a dark time. Meanwhile, as with his other novels, Moore keeps things going pace wise, and I found myself completely immersed in the last 50 pages, anxious to find out what the conclusion would be-I wasn't disappointed.
I can understand why this was shortlisted for the Booker prize on its release, and my enjoyment of the book has given me all the encouragement I need to push on to read more of Moore's work.
January 9, 2012
An excellent portrayal of the brutal thuggery on both sides of the hostilities in Northern Ireland.
Michael Dillon is the manager of an elegant Belfast hotel, planning to leave his bulimic, neurotic wife and move to London, when the IRA invades his home and forces him to drive a bomb back to his hotel. They are targeting a militant Protestant preacher who will be speaking there, but dozens of innocent bystanders will be killed in the process.
Michael manages to alert the police and the hotel is evacuated, but Michael's problems are just beginning. His wife goes public, against the warnings of the police, and describes their ordeal on the BBC. Michael had gotten a glimpse of one of the IRA fellows face and she tells a reporter about that too. Michael leaves for London hoping to put a safe distance between himself and IRA retaliation. He is torn about whether to help the police identify a suspect. Needless to say, it doesn't end well - it's very Irish.
Michael Dillon is the manager of an elegant Belfast hotel, planning to leave his bulimic, neurotic wife and move to London, when the IRA invades his home and forces him to drive a bomb back to his hotel. They are targeting a militant Protestant preacher who will be speaking there, but dozens of innocent bystanders will be killed in the process.
Michael manages to alert the police and the hotel is evacuated, but Michael's problems are just beginning. His wife goes public, against the warnings of the police, and describes their ordeal on the BBC. Michael had gotten a glimpse of one of the IRA fellows face and she tells a reporter about that too. Michael leaves for London hoping to put a safe distance between himself and IRA retaliation. He is torn about whether to help the police identify a suspect. Needless to say, it doesn't end well - it's very Irish.
March 30, 2024
I don't think I've ever felt more tense and uneasy while reading a book than I have with this one, right up to the very last page! Full of moral dilemmas and a book which really stands the test of time.
dnf
September 12, 2024DNF @ 52%
A story that simply didn't attract me..
A story that simply didn't attract me..
June 14, 2022
Absolute worst main character. What a misogynistic, fatphobic, stupid, cowardly kind of a man. JUST TELL YOUR WIFE ALREADY
July 11, 2020
Opened the first page of this book and saw a little message from my uncle written to my dad in 1990! That was 30 years ago! Golly older than me! Perhaps that’s why when my dad said it was fantastic he had a small lapse in memory which (no offence) would not be completely surprising. This book was like watching a trailer for a movie and feeling no need to watch the movie because the whole plot had been explained, (this time in the blurb). An easy and slightly interesting read - I’m not a fortune teller but even I could predict that ending
July 15, 2023
Well not as good as Colour of Blood but still a good read. In parts, still has the tense, taut writing and some high-stakes plot. However, there’s an unconvincing relationships thing going on which doesn’t fully work. It’s almost like Moore didn’t have enough core plot so fleshed it out. I think a pity because the situation that happens within the context of a drifting marriage is far more powerful than the extra love interest. Still, I’m glad I read this and will for sure carry on reading his books
September 26, 2025
What’s with the Protestant propaganda? There is no real attempt to understand either side of the conflict. Dillon is such a horrible and selfish character, only obsessed with his failed career as a poet and with women, especially young women. It’s disgusting.
I couldn’t stand the dialogues where the author’s political ideas came through (because yes, this is not a real representation of Ireland and its people, it’s just the author’s own opinions). He probably thought they were emotional, but they were just nonsense.
I couldn’t stand the dialogues where the author’s political ideas came through (because yes, this is not a real representation of Ireland and its people, it’s just the author’s own opinions). He probably thought they were emotional, but they were just nonsense.
February 1, 2022
Sometimes a little boring but after all a good book, a special if you usually don't read in english.
January 27, 2023
den er ræv det var kanskje 20 sider hvor den var spennende men det er den værste boka jeg har lest siste halvdel hørte jeg på lydbok på 2x speed fordi jeg bare greide ikke mer
July 23, 2025
A good book about Belfast and The Troubles that suffers from pacing issues and somewhat unlikeable characters / male gaze. The latter part is much better, the ending shocking but not surprising.
December 3, 2024
"What am I saying? I can't lose you. I never had you."
October 22, 2025
Very interesting historical fiction. Well written, but I do feel like the book could be a bit shorter, but I also have the attention span of a parrot.
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