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Dubray Review

The Gathering paints a vivid and honest picture of 1960s Ireland. It illustrates the impact of secrets and denial on family life. A dark but compelling read.

- Kathleen, Kilkenny

Description

The nine surviving children of the Hegarty clan gather in Dublin for the wake of their wayward brother Liam. It wasn't the drink that killed him - although that certainly helped - it was what happened to him as a boy in his grandmother's house, in the winter of 1968. "The Gathering" is a novel about love and disappointment, about thwarted lust and limitless desire, and how our fate is written in the body, not in the stars.

Reviews

"It is clearly the product of a remarkable intelligence, combined with a gift for observation and deduction" -- A. L. Kennedy Guardian "She beautifully describes the way hurt can be inherited... Enright is a daring writer - witty, original and inventive... Utterly compelling" -- Eithne Farry Daily Mail "A welcome return, for this writer, to novel form, and as a fresh, sophisticated take on the ever-popular dysfunctional family saga" -- Eve Patten Irish Times "Anne Enright has all she needs in terms of imagination and technique and she's a tremendous phrase maker" -- Adam Mars-Jones Observer "Enright ambushes as memory does, drawing you into an event and then questioning it's reality" Sunday Telegraph