Goodreads Ireland discussion

I'll tell you, Trelawn, fasting is not an option of mine for any reason.

Me neither Susan. But I can see how a religious girl in a rural community could come to the misguided conclusion that by fasting and praying she could get her brother out of purgatory. I thought that sort of naivete and dedication was pitiful enough. There was really no need for the incest storyline. It just seemed like the author wanted the shock factor. It felt at odds with what came before

I really don't think the incest was added for shock but for another layer behind why she was willing to die for her brother. The brother was the mother's favorite, she called Anna a liar saying that about her brother .The priest telling the community that sex was wrong before marriage and incest is a mortal sin . How was she suppose to react ....she loved her brother.
I think the ending might have been over the top but I'm glad it had a happy ending .

All of the Emma Donoghue endings I have read so far have been happy for the mother/mother substitute and child.

Lib and Byron were much better parents to Anna than her biological parents.
To be honest I wasn't really shocked about the incest . Emma Donoghue mentioned about the siblings sharing a bed a few times .
As time went on I had the feeling she really didn't want to die but felt she had to ....she was in a corner.

I was glad Lib and Byrne took Anna away. She needed someone to fight for her. I just thought some of the book seems disjointed in light of what we are told at the end. It was a good read, just not a great read for me.

I totally understand it was a bit disjointed but I think that was what drew me into the story .

Anna did need some help. It was so sad. I can't understand the parents and certainly wonder about people who are so far in denial like they were. So sad for everybody.

I think that the incest storyline was what convinced me about Anna. I don't think I could have believed that she would starve herself to death for her brother without her having some knowledge of a mortal sin he committed. I really wanted to slap her parents, particularly her mother. While I didn't like the characters much, I still kept reading because I wanted to know the story.

I agree with BK that the incest was a necessary part of the story line in order for Anna to fast she had to know that her brother had committed a mortal sin and was willing to die to save him .
I don't know much about fasting girls and what happened to them but I'm happy that Lib found a way to use it to get her to safety. IMO her parents did not deserve her.

To play devil's advocate. Is it the parents' fault? Were they not as brainwashed as the child?

I don't think so ....the mother was feeding her on the sly , the father was maybe clueless but the mother knew what the son had done to Annie and she didn't believe her . I felt especially with the mother than the son was her favorite child and Annie wasn't as important .

Sad to say Colleen, but that would have been the case in most cultures and most ages - still is in many!

I think that the entinre community must share the blame. Most of them were so mad to have their Saint that they suspended belief. But, yes as always, the Mother was most at fault.

This was my first and probably last, Emma Donoghue. I was drawn in at the start but I felt the plot towards the end became predictable. Same old themes that recur in irish literature -sex and religion. Yes, I know there is reason for their recurrence but please, give me a break!

I am glad to have a much talked about writer.

I wouldn't give up on her quite yet Margo. Emma's books vary quite a bit from book to book. I notice there are common themes of motherhood, about half the books have LGBT/Lesbian characters and most have a happy endings (for the mother and child - not others). Very few are set in Ireland as she lives in Canada with her wife and children. She mostly likes to write Historical Fiction based loosely on fact. Though Room of course is more contemporary. So somewhere, some time she may have one that you will enjoy more.

So somewhere they may be one for you.

Margo I agree with Maria don't give up on her yet . I had the same reaction with Room I loath that novel . You might like that one better . It's not set in Ireland and its contemporary.I think I may have loved The Wonder for the reasons you disliked it. I tend to like Historical Fiction more than contemporary .