Reading in the Dark Seamus Deane Online

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(4.5) These brilliant vignettes of childhood and young machismo are so convincing that I could take been fooled into assertive I was reading a memoir. Indeed, this debut novel has generally been interpreted equally heavily autobiographical, with the anonymous narrator, the tertiary of vii children born to Catholic parents in Derry, Northern Ireland, taken to be a stand-in for Deane.

Ireland'southward internecine violence is the sinister backdrop to this family's everyday sorrows, including the decease of a kid an

(four.v) These brilliant vignettes of childhood and young adulthood are so convincing that I could have been fooled into believing I was reading a memoir. Indeed, this debut novel has generally been interpreted every bit heavily autobiographical, with the bearding narrator, the third of seven children built-in to Catholic parents in Derry, Northern Ireland, taken to be a stand-in for Deane.

Republic of ireland's internecine violence is the sinister backdrop to this family'south everyday sorrows, including the expiry of a child and the female parent'south shaky mental wellness. The narrator also learns a family unit surreptitious from his dying maternal granddad that at outset thrills him – he knows something his father doesn't! – but later on serves to drive him away from his parents. The short chapters take identify between 1945 and 1971: starting when the male child is five years old and encountering a household ghost on the stairs and ending as, in his early thirties, he lays his father to rest in the midst of the Troubles.

The Irish have such a knack for property humor and tragedy up side by side – remember John Boyne, James Joyce and Frank McCourt. The ane force doesn't negate the other, merely the juxtaposition reminds you that life isn't all gloom or laughs. In that location are some terrifically funny incidents in Reading in the Night, like the individual sex ed. conversation with Father Nugent ("And semen is the Latin for seed. Practice y'all accept to know Latin to do this?") and going to investigate the rumor of a brothel by the football footing. Only there is also perhaps the all-time ghost story I've e'er read, an eerie tale of shape-shifting children he hears from his aunt.

This book captures all the magic, uncertainty and heartache of being a kid, in well-baked scenes I saw playing out in my mind. If I have one small-scale, strange complaint, it's that in that location's too much plot – most of the capacity part perfectly well as stand-alone short stories, so, peculiarly in the last third, the growing obsession with the family hole-and-corner feels like an unnecessary attempt to tie everything together. That plus the slight irrelevance of the title are the simply reasons this misses out on 5 stars from me.

This is probably 1 of my favorite Irish reads. It'southward no wonder Deane won so many prizes for this: the Irish gaelic Times International Fiction Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, and the Irish Literature Prize; he was also shortlisted for the 1996 Booker Prize.

Favorite lines:

"Child, she'd tell me, I think sometimes you're possessed. Can't you only let the past be the by?"

"He looked up at me, smiling, to say: ah well, it was all blood nether the span now"

"Politics destroyed people's lives in this place, he said. People were better not knowing some things"

Originally published on my blog, Academic Beck.

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Well, the blurbs on the back say: "Marvellous...almost incommunicable to put down" (Independent on Lord's day) and "A greatly emotive and seamlessly structured exploration of loss and regret. It is also funny and authentic. What more could 1 ask of a volume?" My impolite response, all the same, is

BAH!

So it'south all about this boy growing upwards in Northern Ireland with his mother going circular the twist and some not bad big family hole-and-corner hanging over them like a dentist'southward drill, all about the grandpa and the unc

Well, the blurbs on the back say: "Marvellous...almost impossible to put downward" (Independent on Sunday) and "A profoundly emotive and seamlessly structured exploration of loss and regret. It is also funny and authentic. What more could one ask of a book?" My boorish response, however, is

BAH!

Then information technology's all nearly this boy growing upwardly in Northern Ireland with his mother going round the twist and some great big family hole-and-corner hanging over them like a dentist'south drill, all about the grandpa and the uncle and the dad and the IRA and someone was an informant and betrayed the holy IRA and got shot but everyone was told he'd went to Chicago and all this going on and on while the rather bewildered immature lad, the I of the volume, tries to abound upward by the age of ten without himself existence taken for an informant and beaten to a pulp, but instead learning the facts of life and going to the pictures with Irene Mackey. Which by folio 150 I couldn't give the correct cheek of my own grandad's arse about.
I mean, I read Angela'southward Ashes, and that was something to moan about, off-white play and all. Merely this? Give him a clip round the ear and a bag of marbles. Jaysus, what a mitherer.

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The book begins with an epigraph from "She Moved Through the Off-white":

The people were saying no ii were ever wed
But one had a sorrow that never was said.

Those two lines carry the essence of the story. The long-term consequences of keeping secrets are at the middle of Reading in the Night.

The unnamed narrator describes his Cosmic boyhood in Derry in the 40s and 50s. Both his parents' families have secrets held since the time of the Troubles in the 1920s.
As the protagonist moves from boyhood into

The book begins with an epigraph from "She Moved Through the Fair":

The people were saying no two were e'er wed
But one had a sorrow that never was said.

Those 2 lines carry the essence of the story. The long-term consequences of keeping secrets are at the centre of Reading in the Dark.

The unnamed narrator describes his Cosmic boyhood in Derry in the 40s and 50s. Both his parents' families have secrets held since the time of the Troubles in the 1920s.
As the protagonist moves from adolescence into boyhood, he becomes virtually obsessed with the family legends and $.25 of conversations he has heard through the years. Who really killed Billy Mahon? Who was the informer? Is Uncle Eddie dead or alive? And why did McIlhenny run off to America? Eventually the boy pieces together the truth, simply it comes at some price to himself and his family unit. Too late he discovers that even those we honey cannot comport our presence once nosotros have uncovered what lies behind their deepest shame.

Woven into the early narrative are some juicy Irish myths, ghost stories, and superstitions. I would accept welcomed more of these as the story progressed, but Deane abandoned them in favor of a more serious tone. This was my only thwarting, every bit I'd come to look forward to the next interjection of folklore.

All in all a fine piece of work for a poet's first novel. Like his narrator, Seamus Deane grew upwards in Derry in the 40s and 50s, so this could almost work every bit a fictional memoir.

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Sep 01, 2008 Patrick O'Neil rated it actually liked it

If you're Irish, then you've probably got a crazy uncle who occasionally comes home from the pub singing "The Boys of 98" at the peak of his lungs at 3 in the morning or your grandmother, later she slipped a little whiskey in your milk to help you slumber, tells you tales of One-time Eire that brand the Grimm Brother'due south Fairy Tales look like gobshite. If you're not, well, then you lot have to read Seamus Deane's Reading in the Dark to truly get a glimpse of the Irish experience – notably the Northern Iris If you're Irish gaelic, then yous've probably got a crazy uncle who occasionally comes habitation from the pub singing "The Boys of 98" at the top of his lungs at iii in the morning or your grandmother, later on she slipped a little whiskey in your milk to help y'all slumber, tells yous tales of Erstwhile Eire that make the Grimm Brother's Fairy Tales wait like gobshite. If you're not, well, then you lot have to read Seamus Deane'southward Reading in the Dark to truly get a glimpse of the Irish experience – notably the Northern Irish experience of growing upward in the Fifties in Derry. ...more than

February 01, 2009 Cari rated it information technology was amazing

A collection of vignettes that gradually coalesce to grade a complete narrative revolving around family, expiry, loyalty, and dearest. Short, sweet, and stunning, with beautiful, simple writing.

Aug 03, 2008 Mel rated it actually liked it

Deane presents Reading in the Nighttime as a "novel" and I am unclear as to how much is fact and how much is fiction. Much of what he wrote about the dynamic of the Irish family situation rings very true in my ain reality. Irish gaelic families are a topic close to my eye. His word of the things left unsaid in Irish family life rings truthful and is echoed in many other books about Irish and Irish-American culture, ranging from Alice Carey's I'll Know it When I Come across information technology, to Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes, Deane presents Reading in the Dark every bit a "novel" and I am unclear as to how much is fact and how much is fiction. Much of what he wrote about the dynamic of the Irish gaelic family situation rings very truthful in my own reality. Irish families are a topic close to my centre. His word of the things left unsaid in Irish family life rings truthful and is echoed in many other books about Irish and Irish gaelic-American culture, ranging from Alice Carey'southward I'll Know it When I See it, to Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes, to Tom Hayden's Irish on the Within. Much of what he writes about the standing violence, prejudice and trouble in Northern Ireland is factual—even if his characters are fictitious. And I don't know that they are.
Deane presents a compelling look at life in embattled Northern Ireland. He presents to the reader an intimate portrait of an Irish-Catholic family. He offers the superstitions surrounding this family. He allows the reader to accept that a ghost tin can be a spirit or a retentiveness—that both are haunting and can be frightening enough to devastate lives.
The story is presented in a first person child's view, albeit it an omniscient view. Dean walks us through the confusion of growing up an outcast in his community—which is itself outcast from the society in which it is enmeshed. Nosotros, equally readers, are presented with several different perspectives of the outsider. Deane's female parent keeps herself just across the intimacy of her family, specifically her husband and sis, past keeping her secrets. Secrets that eventually drive her insane. Her husband, Dean's begetter, remains outside considering of what he does not know, likewise equally what he does. Each of the children in this family is left on the outside considering none of them knows the whole truth.
For Irish gaelic-Americans (like Dean) reaching dorsum to untangle the things unsaid tin be a healing process. To write about it offers others a door into the silences in their own families. I have read many books about Irish and Irish gaelic-American families and the recurring theme of prevailing silence—and how families role, or don't, around that. Dean'due south direct insertion of the larger socio-political moving picture into the dynamic speaks more than straight to the issue and perhaps can offer, at least for Deane, a style to detect definition to who he is—and why.
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Aug 28, 2008 Elizabeth rated it it was astonishing

This is one of my favorite books; I've probably given away fifteen copies of this book. Much like Graham Swift'due south Waterland, this is an impeccably written, elegantly crafted novel. Much prefer this handling of Irish gaelic family unit life to Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes. This is i of my favorite books; I've probably given away xv copies of this book. Much like Graham Swift's Waterland, this is an impeccably written, elegantly crafted novel. Much prefer this handling of Irish family life to Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes. ...more

Oct 28, 2009 Beth rated it it was amazing

This is another book I read for my Northern Republic of ireland class at Notre Dame, which is where Seamus Deane teaches part of the fourth dimension. He came to visit my class after we'd finished reading it, and I think the unabridged form mostly gazed at him in awe while he sabbatum with us to hash out it. It is a haunting book, a cute book, and ultimately a very tragic book. About the power of secrets, the value of keeping them and non keeping them. Information technology's a very complicated book as well. I remember the class having a who This is some other book I read for my Northern Republic of ireland class at Notre Dame, which is where Seamus Deane teaches function of the time. He came to visit my course afterwards we'd finished reading information technology, and I think the entire class mostly gazed at him in awe while he sat with the states to talk over it. It is a haunting book, a cute book, and ultimately a very tragic book. About the power of secrets, the value of keeping them and non keeping them. It's a very complicated book too. I remember the grade having a whole period where we simply sort of hashed out the details amid ourselves, how we had interpreted what really happened. This novel is a fantastic first hand account of the troubles plaguing Ireland at this time. ...more

November 19, 2011 Philip rated it it was amazing

Reading In The Dark is a offset person business relationship of an boggling childhood. On the surface, the family seems to be stable plenty. They are Catholics and the novel'southward narrator is virtually half way forth his parents´ progeny. Naught special there...

They are not rich, and apparently not poor. They get by. The lad explores the neighbourhood, makes friends, starts school. Somewhen he proves to be quite bookish and he clearly goes from personal success to farther personal success.

But all the time the

Reading In The Dark is a outset person account of an boggling childhood. On the surface, the family seems to be stable enough. They are Catholics and the novel'due south narrator is about one-half style along his parents´ progeny. Nothing special in that location...

They are not rich, and apparently not poor. They go by. The lad explores the neighbourhood, makes friends, starts school. Eventually he proves to be quite academic and he clearly goes from personal success to farther personal success.

But all the fourth dimension in that location'due south something in the past that labels him. There are people who phone call him strange names, accuse him of things he hasn't done. He does non understand, merely feels the consequences. Life can exist complicated when you're born to a Cosmic family in Northern Republic of ireland.

The boy grows upwards in the 1950s and 1960s. Via short, dated chapters, arranged chronologically and starting in Feb 1945, we able to build and possibly experience the lad's world. We share the boy's new experience, feel the changes in his life and trunk every bit he does. But there is always something unsaid, intangible, only undoubtedly real and of consequence. Everyone seems to know something, but he has little idea what it all means.

Female parent and father remain reticent. Relatives and acquaintances allude to Eddie, the boy'due south uncle, who is not around any more. Clearly Eddie died in strange circumstances. Simply in the Northern Ireland of the 1950s, you have to be careful what you say, when you speak and whom y'all mix with. Merely existence seen talking to Sergeant Burke, the policeman, can result in your beingness labelled a traitor, a collaborator, or worse.

The boy'south relationship with the Church and its clergy is both fascinating and surreal. There are moments of humour, times of fear, often juxtaposed. There's a maths teacher whose course rules are so complex that any response seems punishable. Serves them right… It seems that whatever contribution an individual might make has the potential to render that person in demand of strokes, but the ground rules demand that no-ane may opt out.

Information technology's the same in the wider club. When you're a Catholic in Northern Republic of ireland – and perhaps if you are not! – there are no fences yous can sit on. Whatever you lot do it will exist wrong. In that location are enemies on both sides of every contend, so wherever you climb down, beware. Tread carefully, know your place, stay on your guard. But what if, similar our young lad, you don't know what to beware of?

Slowly, however, the real truth behind Uncle Eddie'south fate emerges. Information technology'due south only then that the growing male child, and indeed the reader, realises just how complicated – and vindictive – life can be.

Reading In The Nighttime is a highly poetic novel. The scenes are vivid, beautifully portrayed. They are short, only each adds its own new particular to the bigger story of how a family has learned to cope with its own chequered past. Those who don't know the mistakes of history are maybe doomed to repeat them. Those misled by untruth are not necessarily liars when they recapitulate it. Simply complicating the past probably confuses the present and disturbs the future. Seamus Deane'due south novel, Reading In The Dark, is a vivid and moving portrait of a family unit troubled by a past information technology dare non admit.

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December eleven, 2015 Pamela rated information technology liked it

The writing was beautiful, the pace tiresome, and at times, puzzled me equally I tried to effigy out where the book was going. But it slowly came together to tell the story of expose and guilt and the ripple affects that are felt beyond the first generation. I can't say enough almost the writing, which evokes the times, the place, the verse of the Irish. I actually wished for more than drama because the story and the betrayal are actually quite dramatic. The writing was beautiful, the pace tiresome, and at times, puzzled me every bit I tried to figure out where the book was going. But it slowly came together to tell the story of betrayal and guilt and the ripple affects that are felt beyond the first generation. I tin't say plenty about the writing, which evokes the times, the place, the poetry of the Irish. I actually wished for more drama considering the story and the betrayal are really quite dramatic. ...more

Nov 05, 2008 Janet rated information technology it was ok

Couldn't end this 1...which is very rare for me. The quality of the writing was good, however at that place was no connection between each chapter leaving me disconnected from the book. At that place were no consistent characters to bail with and no story to lose oneself in. And, having just visited Ireland, I was looking frontward to this read. Couldn't terminate this one...which is very rare for me. The quality of the writing was good, notwithstanding there was no connection between each chapter leaving me asunder from the book. There were no consistent characters to bond with and no story to lose oneself in. And, having just visited Republic of ireland, I was looking forward to this read. ...more

Reading in the Dark by Seamus Deane was a beautiful story that showed how family secrets were tainted past the political conflict in Northern Ireland during the 'Troubles'.
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Every bit my second experience of Irish literature, I learnt how mythical folktales about greenish eyed children taken by fairies and communal anger about victims of constabulary oppression in Derry really shaped the protagonist's identity. Reading in the Dark by Seamus Deane was a cute story that showed how family secrets were tainted by the political conflict in Northern Ireland during the 'Troubles'.
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As my second feel of Irish literature, I learnt how mythical folktales about greenish eyed children taken by fairies and communal anger almost victims of police oppression in Derry actually shaped the protagonist'due south identity. ...more

Dec 29, 2007 Beth rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: anybody

I've read this volume 3 times at present. I'chiliad not sure I'll ever perfectly understand it. What I know is that the author has me in his concur; I will follow him wherever this story goes. I've read this book three times now. I'chiliad not certain I'll e'er perfectly understand it. What I know is that the author has me in his hold; I will follow him wherever this story goes. ...more than

This novel written by the late Seamus Deane, poet and literary critic, is very autobiographical. It is gear up in the Northern Irish city of Derry/Londonderry and begins in 1945 and continues through 1974. As the protagonist is Cosmic, information technology is called Derry. This is the story of a family with members in Derry, as well every bit on the other side of the border in Donegal, and a clandestine at the heart of this extended family unit. It is a hole-and-corner that festers for years, and although some family members know some of th This novel written past the belatedly Seamus Deane, poet and literary critic, is very autobiographical. It is set in the Northern Irish metropolis of Derry/Londonderry and begins in 1945 and continues through 1974. Every bit the protagonist is Catholic, it is chosen Derry. This is the story of a family with members in Derry, as well as on the other side of the border in Donegal, and a underground at the eye of this extended family. It is a secret that festers for years, and although some family members know some of the underground, the whole story is known by very few.

The prose in the offset chapters of the volume that progress through the boy's childhood is gorgeous, and very poetic. As the boy loses his childhood innocence, the story becomes more than focused on the family unit's poverty and the IRA campaign along the border with Donegal. The story moves into the era of the Ceremonious Rights Movement in Northern Ireland, the arrival of British troops, and the Troubles. It is a classic of Northern Irish writing.

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I'm not sure I could say anything about this book other than that it is, in a word, brilliant. Written about a identify Deane knew quite well, the volume has that rare gift of making the reader experience intimately familiar with a place and a people he has never seen. Questions of truth, family history and the often-messy outcome of keeping it hidden, as well equally vendetta and guilt by clan, riddle the book. At that place are questions as to how much of the book is fiction and how much is fictionalized fact; I'm not certain I could say annihilation about this book other than that information technology is, in a discussion, brilliant. Written about a place Deane knew quite well, the book has that rare souvenir of making the reader feel intimately familiar with a place and a people he has never seen. Questions of truth, family history and the oftentimes-messy issue of keeping it hidden, as well as vendetta and guilt by association, riddle the book. At that place are questions equally to how much of the book is fiction and how much is fictionalized fact; I don't know that nosotros'll ever know the true answer to that--and, really, it doesn't matter. Even if none of it really happened, events simply like those in the book happened to many, many Irishmen and their families.

I don't want to requite annihilation away, so I'1000 keeping plot details out of this, but I volition say that it touches upon the Troubles of the early 20th century, and the impairment done in those times to families on both sides, harm which frequently lingers for decades subsequently the fact.

Exist warned: Information technology's sad, nearly across the telling. The shadows of events that business organization every character (which all happened long earlier the book opens) are felt for years, and the shadow falls across the entire life of the main graphic symbol. This is not a happy book, despite the mayhap-upbeat ending.

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Oct 30, 2014 Tom rated it liked it

Put aside at pg 172 but non quite fix to abandon and take no thought when or if I'll render to it. Lovely writing but onetime-erstwhile, hate to say but almost dried Irish story of IRA "ghosts." Deane'due south language makes it fairly fresh, but not plenty to go along me going. Trouble is I've read so much Irish gaelic lit, past and nowadays, on the same subject, and information technology becomes like reading yet some other work on evil legacy of American slavery: there's Morrison's Beloved and there'due south everything else. And Deane, though talented, Put aside at pg 172 but not quite ready to carelessness and have no thought when or if I'll render to it. Lovely writing merely old-one-time, hate to say but almost stale Irish story of IRA "ghosts." Deane's language makes it fairly fresh, but not enough to proceed me going. Trouble is I've read and so much Irish lit, past and nowadays, on the same field of study, and it becomes similar reading yet another work on evil legacy of American slavery: there's Morrison's Love and there'southward everything else. And Deane, though talented, is no Morrison. Maybe not quite "everything else," but just too familiar to proceed me engaged correct at present. ...more

Secrets and lies tin can wreak havoc on a family simply when the family lives in the city of Derry in the North of Republic of ireland during the troubles, the secrets can be more dangerous especially when the secret is connected to the troubles. Seamus Deane has written a beautiful, dramatic, and touching novel about a family unit whose secrets are just too hard to bear. I highly recommend this book. It is the kind of book that makes reading addictive.

in that location is truly nothing similar really enjoying what yous're reading for school :)

Haunting tale of a family twisted past secrets and a society in conflict with itself. Fix in Republic of ireland in the 1940s and 50s Reading in the Dark follows a young, unnamed, Cosmic boy growing up during i of the many periods of violent conflict betwixt the Protestant and Catholic communities.

"It was a city of bonfires. The Protestants had more than nosotros had. ... triumph of Protestant armies at the Battle of the Boyne, liberation of the city from beseiging Cathoic armies, and called-for of traitor Lundy's

Haunting tale of a family twisted by secrets and a society in conflict with itself. Set in Ireland in the 1940s and 50s Reading in the Night follows a immature, unnamed, Catholic boy growing up during one of the many periods of trigger-happy disharmonize between the Protestant and Catholic communities.

"It was a urban center of bonfires. The Protestants had more than we had. ... triumph of Protestant armies at the Battle of the Boyne, liberation of the urban center from beseiging Cathoic armies, and burning of traitor Lundy's effigy who tried to open the gates to the Cosmic enemy."

The Derry of this tale is a dark place, deeply divided and filled with fear. There is piddling trust between friends or even family members and secrets are tearing everyone autonomously. And then much of the story is about those secrets, and the manner they can twist relationships and people, rotting them from the inside out, poisoning people against eachother, spouse against spouse, parent against child, and children confronting siblings.

Deane also weaves in the legends of Ireland. Ghosts haunt people, fairies linger, dreams take on lives of their own, and echoes of long forgotten warriors remain in the land.

"Freedom. In this place. Never was, never would exist. What was it anyway? Freedom to exercise what you liked, that was i thing. Freedom to do what you should, that was another. Close enough to one another and far autonomously as well"

The story is dark, and not at all happy. There is then much tension and betrayal, so much fear and sadness, that it is not a happy read. Just in many ways information technology is still an enjoyable one. The mode Deane writes is so brilliant, with unusual descriptions which perfectly evoke a detail mood or moment. I wasn't at all surprise to find that he was a poet of renown, considering at that place is a lyrical quality to the writing the leans towards verse in parts.

I loved this volume for its atmosphere. I felt tossed onto the streets of Derry, violence simmering just below the surface of every interaction.

My merely real criticism of it is how misleading the blurb of my edition was. It spoke of a young boy living half in a fantasy world via his dreams and half in the earth of conflict and lies he physically inhabited. It suggested that these two worlds were on a standoff course. But in reality that is only vaguely true of the start department of the book and in no fashion encapsulates the domestic focus of this tale.

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Sep 24, 2017 Girish rated it really liked it

This is one of the best books well-nigh how growing up feels like - a series of images, knowledge gained through episodes, experiences frozen as memories, truths that increase or diminish love and lots and lots of stories..

At the crux of it is a family secret and the nameless child narrator's growing up is characterized past this secret with people effectually him talking things he doesn't sympathize at showtime. You the reader are expected to do the aforementioned and therein lies the fun - you are never right or wro

This is one of the all-time books nigh how growing up feels similar - a serial of images, cognition gained through episodes, experiences frozen equally memories, truths that increase or diminish love and lots and lots of stories..

At the crux of it is a family unit secret and the nameless kid narrator's growing upward is characterized by this surreptitious with people around him talking things he doesn't understand at outset. Y'all the reader are expected to do the aforementioned and therein lies the fun - y'all are never right or incorrect at your guess since none of the facts are explicitly stated!

Very early on in the book, in the affiliate named afterwards the title, the narrator explains the sensation of holding a book with it's characters afterward the lights are switched off. He explains how the characters enact the scenes read and then far and yous showtime filling in the rest of the story and gaps from imagination.

Some of the capacity stand out. Like Katie's story of the Francis twins or the episode with Crazy Joe - which accept a haunting experience. On the lighter side, the theology lecture or the affiliate with the Bishop were ingenuous. Later on, the narrator wonders if memories aren't as powerful as ghosts in their haunting capacity. The relationship between the female parent, father, brother and the narrator is warm and mesmerizing. You want them to be happy.

This is my third Irish family book and this besides seemed to have a family secret and had politics and violence in the properties. One of my Irish colleagues one time told me, "You lot don't desire to be effectually at a family gathering since you don't know what secrets are going to come out from the uncles!" Peradventure, nosotros are the same.

I recommended read..

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This coming of age story, set in Northern Ireland, narrates the tragic tale of a family torn apart by secrets from the by. The novel skillfully displays the bitterly divided society of Derry, and the destructive effects of this sectionalization on the family involved. It accompanies this with several highly enjoyable passages: a Byzantine maths lesson endured by the protagonist was extremely funny. Withal, as a whole, this volume did not interest or excite me in betwixt these enjoyable moments; the lan This coming of age story, fix in Northern Ireland, narrates the tragic tale of a family torn apart past secrets from the past. The novel skillfully displays the bitterly divided society of Derry, and the subversive effects of this division on the family involved. It accompanies this with several highly enjoyable passages: a Byzantine maths lesson endured by the protagonist was extremely funny. All the same, as a whole, this book did non involvement or excite me in between these enjoyable moments; the language used was frequently excessively ornate, and thus prevented me from developing any existent empathy with the book's characters. Ultimately, although intriguing, 'Reading in the Dark' was simply not sufficiently entertaining to read to merit any college than a three-star rating from me. ...more

This book read exactly like a memoir. Although it was quite serious in field of study thing (Irish independence), at that place were a couple of really humorous capacity describing the narrator's experiences in the classroom. The family unit dynamics pulled at my heartstrings, especially since the author had the uncanny ability to let the reader hands figure out plot twists on 1'due south ain with subtle hints. This book read exactly like a memoir. Although it was quite serious in bailiwick affair (Irish independence), there were a couple of really humorous chapters describing the narrator'south experiences in the classroom. The family unit dynamics pulled at my heartstrings, especially since the author had the uncanny power to permit the reader easily figure out plot twists on one's own with subtle hints. ...more

May 24, 2007 Caoileann rated information technology it was amazing

tis is very special. Making me feel all vernacular-like, homo dear, boys'o, it's a queer bit o writtin...

This is marvellous. Moving, sensitive but not at all slushy or saccharin. Information technology is tender, haunting, and left me feeling quite emotionally fragile after end information technology. Ah, Seamus Deane

tis is very special. Making me feel all vernacular-like, man dear, boys'o, it'southward a queer bit o writtin...

This is marvellous. Moving, sensitive but non at all slushy or saccharin. It is tender, haunting, and left me feeling quite emotionally fragile after terminate it. Ah, Seamus Deane

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April 17, 2011 Melissa rated it liked it

I'm non sure how this volume got into my personal library. But there it was, and I felt the need to read it, as I feel virtually all the books on my shelves. It was ok, but I can definitely tell that this was non something I would have picked out for myself.

A young boy grows up in Republic of ireland. At this time in that location is much talk well-nigh informers and war and other things that are a family undercover. A secret he is adamant to figure out although it will take him years and he'll only get it in snippets. With a mo

I'k not sure how this volume got into my personal library. Only there it was, and I felt the need to read it, equally I feel about all the books on my shelves. It was ok, just I tin definitely tell that this was non something I would have picked out for myself.

A immature male child grows up in Ireland. At this time at that place is much talk about informers and war and other things that are a family secret. A secret he is determined to effigy out although it will take him years and he'll merely go it in snippets. With a mother who is a little bit crazy he too has a troubled homelife likewise. But really, the essence of this book is what life was like in Ireland in the 1940'south and beyond. Information technology shows i boy's childhood amidst the troubling time.

Our narrator is ok. He speaks a little old for his age but he's besides supposed to be quite smart, then that is forgiveable. He really wants to know secrets and has that childlike curiosity that makes you feel every bit if he is a worthy grapheme. His poor mother, I just found her a bit odd and crazy and couldn't really understand her. I got the impression that she was supposed to be normal at to the lowest degree part of the fourth dimension, but I never really felt that way about her. And his father, while silent and strong, isn't given as much time in this book and I thought that he could have really been an important graphic symbol and used much better. At that place are several brothers and sisters also, simply they also only play minor roles.

The plot had a definite theme, rooting out the family hole-and-corner. Merely it was quite cleaved up into chunks of months or years, with no real set timeline or consistency. It fabricated information technology difficult to really blot yourself in the volume because you lot were reading one story when you were immediately thrown into the next. That being said, the bodily language of the book was terrific. Very descriptive and near poetic really. I liked the tone information technology set. And there are some hard themes in this book. It talks a petty scrap nigh state of war and execution and dark secrets. Nothing is greatly described in detail, but it is implied.

This was just a hard volume for me to really sink in to and appreciate. I tin can't say that I'd seek other books out by Deane, but if they magically appear on my bookshelf again I'll probably read them.

Reading in the Nighttime
Copyright 1996
246 pages

Review by Thou. Reynard 2012

More of my reviews can exist institute at world wide web.ifithaswords.blogspot.com

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Sep 10, 2014 Thomas rated it really liked information technology

Joyce has Stephen Daedalus say that "history is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake," and the narrator of Seamus Deane'due south novel could just as well say the same. Politics, religion, and family secrets are the threads that entwine to create this Irish history, one that sounds like a memoir just evidently is not. The story is told in brusque bursts, snapshots of family history that piece together at the end to tell a coherent but somewhat tragic tale. All of which might brand for a glum and depr Joyce has Stephen Daedalus say that "history is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake," and the narrator of Seamus Deane'due south novel could just also say the same. Politics, religion, and family secrets are the threads that entwine to create this Irish history, one that sounds similar a memoir but evidently is not. The story is told in short bursts, snapshots of family unit history that piece together at the end to tell a coherent but somewhat tragic tale. All of which might make for a glum and depressing read, but Deane offsets the tragedy with fables of the supernatural and a dose of practiced humour. Father Nugent's sex ed lesson is a classic.

"You lot mean he sends it to her?" In what? I wanted to ask. An envelope? In a wee parcel? What, in the name of Christ, was this nutcase talking about?

"In a sense. The technical give-and-take is 'ejaculated.'"

Oh, from the Latin, I knew he would say, as he did. Thank yous male parent, now he's throwing information technology out, like a spear. And semen is the Latin for seed. Practice you lot have to know Latin to do this?

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This is a difficult book to like. I accept a lot of sympathy for Ireland, like most Irish writing, just I insubordinate at the structure of this particular novel. For a long time I wasn't fifty-fifty sure it was a novel at all; it seemed more than like a memoir, episodic in manner. And at one betoken I establish it quite so boring that I decided to go and clean the bathroom instead. Yet, it'due south our adjacent read in the book club, then I had to press on. And now I've read it all. Admittedly, information technology did become more interesting towards th This is a hard book to similar. I have a lot of sympathy for Ireland, like most Irish writing, but I rebel at the construction of this detail novel. For a long fourth dimension I wasn't even sure information technology was a novel at all; it seemed more like a memoir, episodic in style. And at 1 indicate I institute it quite and then boring that I decided to go and clean the bathroom instead. Yet, information technology's our next read in the book club, so I had to printing on. And now I've read information technology all. Absolutely, it did get more interesting towards the terminate when I began to empathize what it was all about.
The failure of the book is that I don't feel anything for any of the characters. For a offset, they are numerous. Non having any brothers or sisters myself, let alone cousins or nephews or aunts or uncles, I felt quite lost when Ena, for instance, died. Who was Ena? And so on.
The title, I have to acknowledge, is quite clever. ...more

Aug xviii, 2007 Jim rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Anyone who is feeling cornball.

I'd been working on a book based in Ireland where the protagonists were two brothers so this looked liked the perfect reference material for me. I call up my memory of the book has suffered because I was reading the book with a purpose in mind rather than enjoying it in its own right. The political border to the volume bellyaching me considering politics in general annoys me but in order to be authentic information technology needed to be there.

When I first picked it upward to add together to my bookshelf I thought I'd remembered nothing abou

I'd been working on a book based in Ireland where the protagonists were two brothers so this looked liked the perfect reference fabric for me. I call up my retention of the book has suffered considering I was reading the book with a purpose in mind rather than enjoying it in its own correct. The political edge to the book annoyed me because politics in full general annoys me simply in guild to be authentic it needed to be in that location.

When I first picked information technology up to add to my bookshelf I thought I'd remembered nothing virtually information technology but a quick flick through was all I needed and I think my inability to call back says more about me and my limitations than it does the author and his ability to write something memorable.

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Jul 07, 2017 Sharon Huether rated it really liked it

Growing up in Ireland, life was centered around the church building (Catholic Church) .
The Priests were always trying to help the young people exist moral and honest. The children would have to memorize passages from Catholic books to get the bespeak of morality into their brains.
Secrets and rumors were everywhere with families and friends. The Young people e'er wanted more information to solve all the rumors.
Everyone was known to all the people in the minor town. Boys couldn't get by with much. Growing up in Ireland, life was centered around the church (Catholic Church) .
The Priests were always trying to assist the young people be moral and honest. The children would have to memorize passages from Cosmic books to get the point of morality into their brains.
Secrets and rumors were everywhere with families and friends. The Young people always wanted more information to solve all the rumors.
Everyone was known to all the people in the small town. Boys couldn't get past with much. ...more than

April 18, 2012 Chris rated information technology liked information technology

This was probably more 2.5 stars, but I rounded up because of the writing. I thought the writing was fantastic, the story OK yet bleak, but the narrator wouldn't let this one family unit issue get and information technology started to wear on me. This was probably more 2.5 stars, merely I rounded up because of the writing. I idea the writing was fantastic, the story OK yet bleak, but the narrator wouldn't let this one family consequence get and it started to wear on me. ...more

Jul 09, 2017 Madison rated it liked it

Beautifully lyrical episodes from Irish gaelic history. A family unit mystery. Deception. Family unit drama. Night. The episodes seemed haphazard. Some of them seemed completely unnecessary.

Poet, critic, novelist, editor, and educator. Professor of Irish studies in Ireland and the The states. Educated at Queen's College Belfast and Pembroke College, Cambridge University, England. Poet, critic, novelist, editor, and educator. Professor of Irish gaelic studies in Ireland and the USA. Educated at Queen'due south College Belfast and Pembroke College, Cambridge University, England. ...more than

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Ah leap, a time for fresh beginnings and fantastic reading. Fans of young developed stories are in particular luck this season, as the next few...

"People with light-green eyes were close to the fairies, we were told; they were simply hither for a little while, looking for a man child they could accept away. If we ever met anyone with one green and one brownish eye we were to cross ourselves, for that was a human kid that had been taken over by the fairies. The brownish eye was the sign it had been man. When it died, it would go into the fairy mounds that lay behind the Donegal mountains, not to heaven, purgatory, limbo or hell like the rest of usa. These strange destinations excited me, especially when a priest came to the house of a dying person to give the final rites, the sacrament of Extreme Unction. That was to stop the person going to hell. Hell was a deep place. You lot fell into it, turning over and over in mid-air until the blackness sucked yous into a great whirlpool of flames and you disappeared forever." — 8 likes

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