Our May book choice, ‘The Queen of Dirt Island’ by Donal Ryan, is set in rural Ireland in the early 1980s when people’s opportunities to live and work beyond their immediate community were few and far between.
It’s in Nenagh, County Tipperary, where three, and later four, generations of the Aylward women live. Despite suffering tragic losses and being at the centre of family disputes and shame, the women prove themselves to be resilient and enterprising. The head of the family, Nana, and Eileen, her daughter-in-law, have a tempestuous yet fiercely loyal and loving relationship; no sooner have they shouted and sworn at each other, than they finish nursing their wrath and just get on with life. Their dialogues often result in laugh out loud moments! Saoirse, Eileen’s daughter, is brought up within this close-knit family unit and blossoms under their protection, gradually and quietly absorbing some of their strength and determination. Their courage is tested when Eileen, the self-appointed ‘Queen of Dirt Island’, is betrayed by her family over a piece of land to which she is entitled, but the women prove to be a force to be reckoned with. By the end of the book, a new Ireland is emerging, with Saoirse realising her writing talent and her young daughter, Pearl, spreading her wings and leaving Ireland.
We all enjoyed the author’s lyrical style of writing, as well as the two-page chapters which helped to develop a rhythm in the reading and gave a sense of moving through the characters’ lives. A memorable and inspiring story which has whetted our appetites to read more of Donal Ryan’s books.
Louise Elsome
‘Bookworms’ Group Coordinator