The Green Road

The book is structured in two parts–leaving and coming home. In the first part, we glimpse the 4 siblings spinning away from home and finding their own lives; in the second part their being reeled back in as the story builds toward a Christmas Day climax with their mother, Rosaleen. The five points of view, then, represent the family. The short sections toward the end of the book feel a bit like unravelling, but not in a good way. Perhaps the novel ends in the wrong place?

I quite liked the structure: introduce each character in their own chapters then bring them together for the main plotline ultimately separating again as we reach the end. The writing was fine, characters had depth etc...

I just didn't really care about any of the characters or their lives. I got a little bit more involved towards the end, with the vague threat, but that soon dissipated.

This family drama concerns the Madigans, an 21st centurt Irish family whose four children are coming home from far flung places to visit their mother, Rosaleen, for Christmas. Rosaleen has hinted that she is going to sell the house they all grew up in, so there is some consternation among the siblings, Dan, Emmet, Constance, and Hanna. We get to see the siblings as children together, and then individually as adults, before we see them back together as a family. We see their weaknesses and faults, their attempts to manage their relationships with their mother and siblings, and where the family rifts are. Rosaleen is a formidable character herself, with the power to raise storms within her family and then quiet them. If you like complex family relationships, this is a great book for you.