The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

This is a tough read – both in style and subject matter.

Interestingly it is one with strong links to the difficult subject matters covered by two recent Booker winners (Anna Burns and Douglas Stuart), but at least for me without the more redemptive elements of their writing (Anna Burns brilliantly inventive narrative style and slightly surreal humour, and Douglas Stuart’s ability to weave empathy and hope into the darkest tales) – so that this is a grittier and more uncompromising novel.

I cannot recall reading many books that so well captures a sense of a particular place and time in history. This is a book full of local and period colour – although that colour was very much in my mind a mix of a kind of dark grey of both weather and mood, a 1970s beige-brown of food (the author was for many years a chef and she has a brilliant ability to convey mood and class via descriptions of ordinary meals) and clothes, with a heavy dose of oppressive army camouflage

Gumble wrote: "I cannot recall reading many books that so well captures a sense of a particular place and time in history."

This stood out to me as well.

I really loved this book and thought it exceptionally strong for a debut. Completely agree with GY's comment about the ways it captured a place and a time. I'm delighted to see it on the longlist.

Looking forward to getting to this one; on my reserve list with the local library so hopefully comes in soon.

The evocation of time and place is what really stood out for me with this novel, too. That is something I tend to value highly in my reading and probably why it has stuck with me. I wavered between 4/5 stars.

Cindy I agree, this is a very strong debut. She’ll be a writer to watch.

I was surprised the Booker did not pick this up but - and we discussed this even pre the Ionglist - it was likely to be crowded out by The Colony and Small Things Like These.

This was apparently “the title most frequently cited as the best book of 2022, according to industry magazine The Bookseller” (as per the Observer 2023 Best Debut Novel feature looking back on their 2022 picks)

It’s a book of modest ambitions but executed well. I see it as a consensus book that is generally respected for what it is.

I guess I‘m the odd one out here, half way through and quite underwhelmed. The writing feels very 'labored‘ to me, especially the dialogue, there is no flow at all. And the story of Cushlan and Michael is rather uninteresting.

Britta wrote: "I guess I‘m the odd one out here, half way through and quite underwhelmed. The writing feels very ‚labored‘ to me, especially the dialogue, there is no flow at all. And the story of Cushlan and Mic..."

I was expecting more too, but it picks up speed much later and then you will be surprised at all the hints that you missed. While reading I wondered how she would end such a slow story, but am glad I stayed with it. The ending is powerful.

Britta wrote: "I guess I‘m the odd one out here, half way through and quite underwhelmed. The writing feels very ‚labored‘ to me, especially the dialogue, there is no flow at all. And the story of Cushlan and Mic..."

I've finished it, Britta, and I agree. I thought the time and place was exceptionally well-evoked but I didn't connect to the characters because of the lack of interiority, and found the plot cliched and predictable. I admired the prose but felt it was there to admire/study...

I’m about halfway through and I am actually really enjoying it. I’m a little surprised as I wasn’t too excited by the premise, and had heard it described as ‘boring’. But the writing is decent, and I am actually finding the dialogue very convincing. I have a feeling I know what is going to happen, but we’ll see…!

One thing I liked about this was Kennedy's decision to set the book in the early 70s before the worst of the Troubles - although the characters and people living at that time wouldn't have known the future. A more dramatic book would have set this a few years later. Personally it resonates with how I feel about the present and so it felt timely.

I am not sure I follow David. I think it’s set in 1975 isn’t it (unless my review is wrong) and the most deaths in Northern Ireland by far were in the 1972-76 period I think?

https://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/...

That changes my perspective a bit, although not my opinion of the book. I had thought of 1978-79 as the nadir, but that might be because of the Mountbatten death rather than reality.

David wrote: "That changes my perspective a bit, although not my opinion of the book. I had thought of 1978-79 as the nadir, but that might be because of the Mountbatten death rather than reality."

This timeline might help you with the broader context, I suppose Mountbatten may be a landmark for the English but not so much in terms of Irish/N. Irish history

https://alphahistory.com/northernirel...

I finished and I stayed underwhelmed. And the central relationship that was used as an anker for the Troubles was annoyingly trite.
2.5*

That’s normally toward the top of your rankings though Britta!

Haha, you know me well! But this year is a good year: one 4.5 already and 4 books with 3* plus POD that will most likely get 4*. And I havent even read Demon Copperhead and Marriage Portrait yet!

I read this before it was listed because the topic interests me, but did not like the way the story was told at all. Anna Burns' Milkman, as some of you mention above, was much better in my opinion.
Also, I found the love affair just plain weird.

Kay wrote: "I read this before it was listed because the topic interests me, but did not like the way the story was told at all. Anna Burns' Milkman, as some of you mention above, was much better in my opinion..."

Couldn't agree more, Kay!

Agree also but Milkman is for me better than probably any novel I have read since so that’s a high bar.

For those who weren’t impressed is it in the context of a literary competition? Do you think if you weren’t ranking Trespasses against the other longlisted books to decide which books should be shortlisted would you have a higher opinion of it?

I don't think my opinion (or my rating) would've been higher if I had just read it as an individual book. I would have thought that it was an ok debut but nothing I would recommend to other readers.

I ask because I gave The Birthday Party 4* on Instagram because as a book it was a page turner and I love discursive novels, but as a possible prize winner I gave it a 3, maybe if I was reading all the IB and ranking them The Birthday Party would have been more than 4*. I’m just saying my ratings are different depending on the context.

WndyJW wrote: "I ask because I gave The Birthday Party 4* on Instagram because as a book it was a page turner and I love discursive novels, but as a possible prize winner I gave it a 3, maybe if I was reading all..."

Ah, thats interesting!

May be worth pointing out that this is currently leading the forum rankings.

I read this before the announcement, so by that logic it should stay towards the bottom of my list. I have not read enough of the long list yet to compare it fairly though. It’s interesting that it’s leading the rankings, I’m worried about the books I have to read now 😂

I read Trespasses as an ARC months before and still only gave it 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. For me, it felt like a typical, predictable Troubles novel with nothing fresh to say. It may be that readers less familiar with the material like it more

WndyJW wrote: "For those who weren’t impressed is it in the context of a literary competition? Do you think if you weren’t ranking Trespasses against the other longlisted books to decide which books should be sho..."

I read Trespasses before it was longlisted so not in my case - I'm actually more impressed with it than most of the WP longlisted titles!

Just finished this on audio, which I think was a good choice of format for it as the accent really helped with the sense of place. I found the beginning slow but the end section was tense and I felt it all came together well. Very reminiscent of Milkman, which i also listened to, but not as violent. Made me laugh out loud, I’d forgotten that orange juice was sometimes served as a starter 😊

Just won the British Book Awards (the Nibbies) for best debut fiction.

I thought this was really good, but I share the criticisms of some people above, who thought the love affair was weird or trite. We experience Cushla's emotions toward people (Michael and Davy) without really getting why she loves them so much. In fact, the initial sections of the affair left me wondering if there was an element of repulsion in it for her, with his slightly offensive nativizing attitude toward learning Irish and his (what I read as) pomposity about theater and film. As it went on I realized there was no repulsion, but I still wasn't quite sure what it was about him that she was so drawn to, other than that he was more cultured and had more money than those she usually encountered (at one point she expresses the fantasy that he'll take her away from her small life and family). Davy, similarly, could be any child. Other than the protection she feels he requires, giving her a maternal feeling toward him, I don't think the reader knows what it is about Davy that she loves so much.
Sometimes, we just love people because we love them, even if we perversely don't like them very much or can see major flaws in them, so in real life I would understand that there's not always an apparent reason. But in a novel, I feel like such feelings need to be explained a bit more.

With Davy I think the fact that he is from a mixed marriage (and due to her Catholic family running a pub with largely Protestant clientele she is already very sensitive to this) and as a direct result is picked in both by her own arch-nemesis the School Priest and is an indirect result bullied the other children (due to the smell of his clothes from the enforced washing arrangements) - surely marks him out for her attentions and care.

With Michael - the first time they meet he stands up to the soldiers who grope her (whereas the other men - including one who is a Protestant paramilitary leader - are intimidated). We get a clear view into what attracts her in men from the way she prefers the older, “thickset and brooding” Alan Bates - who is 40 something to the younger blond outgoing Malcom McDowell (Google an image of The Collection) - and I felt she immediately saw something of Bates in Michael. We also know from her mother that he was once gorgeous and from his friends that he is still something of a ladykiller.

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "With Davy I think the fact that he is from a mixed marriage (and due to her Catholic family running a pub with largely Protestant clientele she is already very sensitive to this) and as a direct re..."

This might just be a matter of opinion - for me, we're told those things, but I didn't get a sense of who those two characters were, beyond the tropes that were introduced. The interactions that Cushla has with each of them are not very revealing and didn't develop a relationship beyond the predictable stuff.

Yes I think we may have to ultimately agree to disagree but very insightful comments thank you as I can see where you are coming from.

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "Yes I think we may have to ultimately agree to disagree but very insightful comments thank you as I can see where you are coming from."

I might just have high emotional needs for my novels. :-) I did really enjoy it and otherwise admired the writing.