đ đźđȘ #16: A feminist whodunit from Ireland
Louise O'Neill explores an unsolved murder investigation
Welcome to Bookmarked, a weekly newsletter following my journey as I read one book from every country. If youâre enjoying my project, Iâd love it if you shared Bookmarked with a friend.
After the Silence is a contemporary crime novel by Irish author Louise OâNeill. Set in InisrĂșn, a fictional island off the coast of Cork, the novel follows Keelin Kinsella and her husband Henry after Nessa Crawley, a popular local teenager, was murdered during a party at their house. Though it is written in English, After the Silence is peppered with Irish words and phrases, a technique which OâNeill uses to establish the bookâs setting in a Gaeltacht islandâan environment in which Irish is the primary spoken language.
The novel is set ten years after the fateful party, when two Australian filmmakers arrive in InisrĂșn to make a true crime documentary about the unsolved murder. Locals have always assumed that either Keelin or Henry must be responsibleâand it doesnât help that Henry, an English settler in whatâs effectively a closed community, is a status-obsessed bully. However, it soon becomes clear that there are a handful of possible suspects.
It was impossible to keep a secret on InisrĂșn. We had learned that as children, arriving home from a day running free across the islandâs skin, and our mothers would be waiting for us, recounting a list of our wrongdoings, as if they has been there to see them first-hand. It was a form of magic, we thought; the Women of RĂșn must be witches. We didnât yet understand this was simply the way of the island. Words skipping from mouth to ear, like pebbles skimming the waterâs flesh, leaving ripples behind. We traded stories like we were bartering goods, for information was vital in a pace such as this. We could not live so close to one another if we did not know each otherâs secrets. The knowing kept us safe.
Though After the Silence starts off as a whodunit, itâs not long before the mystery surrounding Nessa Crawleyâs murder is overshadowed by themes of emotional trauma, coercive control, and psychological abuse. When the truth is ultimately revealed, it is by no means a surprise; I correctly identified the murderer about a quarter of the way through the book.
However, as a story about domestic abuse, After the Silence is smart and well-researched. OâNeill paints a realistic picture of how, having both fled a violent marriage and worked with domestic abuse victims, Keelin remains unable to recognise patterns of coercive control in Henryâs behaviour. Steering well clear of victim blaming, OâNeill carefully explores how Henry manages to seize control over every element of his wifeâs life, from her eating habits and exercise regime to her social media activity and friendships.
Don't you think it's interesting that we always ask, "Why do these women stay?" We never think to ask, "Why are these men violent?" or "Why won't these men stop terrorising their partners?"
The bookâs narrative switches between the lead up to the party and the present day. A lot of the bookâs exposition takes the form of interview transcripts which, though efficient, I couldnât help but find a little lazy. I also found myself wishing for slightly more character-work from OâNeill: Henry, for example, is a fairly two-dimensional baddie.
Nonetheless, at 437 pages After the Silence is a quick read thatâll certainly have you thinking about the many facets of abuse and control and OâNeillâs thoughtful focus on abuse is a welcome departure from your run-of-the-mill murder mysteries.
After the Silence by Louise OâNeill (riverrrun, 2020)
More books by Irish authors
Hereâs a list of the other recommendations I received this week. Books Iâve read and loved are in bold:
Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume
Milkman by Anna Burns
This Happy by Niamh Campbell
The Fire Starters by Jan Carson
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
Actress by Anne Enright
Show Them a Good Time by Nicole Flattery
Big Girl Small Town by Michelle Gallen
A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann NĂ Ghriofa
The Wild Laughter by Caoilinn Hughes
A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride
Dinosaurs on Other Planets by Danielle McLaughlin
Notes to Self by Emilie Pine
Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney
Normal People by Sally Rooney
What have you read recently?
If youâve read a brilliant book in translation or want to pass on a recommendation, Iâd love to hear about it! For this project, Iâm focussing on contemporary fiction and short stories, with a preference for female authorsâbut I wonât be too dogmatic about it so do share recommendations that donât quite fit the bill, too.
You can get in touch by replying to this email or leaving a comment. Iâll be featuring your recommendations in upcoming newsletters, and Iâll keep a growing list here.
Bookmarked is written by Tabatha Leggett. Thanks to Lynsey Reed from Literature Ireland and Ailbhe Malone for this issueâs recommendations. If you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter, please forward it to them!
I am absolutely loving your newsletter! Apologies if you've answered this elsewhere, but I'm so curious where you find each book and choose on which one to read for those countries? It feels so overwhelming!
This is a great concept for a newsletter!
I would like to share the best book Iâve read in translation this year. It has a great title, too: "Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead" by the Polish writer Olga TokarÄuk.
Others might consider this to be more of a literary novel than a crime novel, but of course thereâs nothing to say that it canât be both. It certainly features a number of murders and a mystery to be solved, so that makes it crime so far as I am concerned.
Itâs written from the first-person point of view of Janina Duszejko, who is an eccentric woman in her 60s, living in a rural area of Poland. Several strange deaths occur in the area and Duszejko, who is regarded by her neighbours as a crank, sets out to investigate and puts forward her theory that Nature is taking revenge for offences against it such as hunting wild animals. Each death seems to add evidence to confirm this oddball idea. Itâs a delightful book, and Duszejko is a wonderful character.