Book review : The Ghostlights - Gráinne Murphy

 

Last year, I reviewed Gráinne Murphy's debut novel, Where The Edge Is. (Click through for that review.) Her new book, The Ghostlights, has already been listed as one of the Irish Times Best Books of 2021, so I was keen to see what I'd think when my review copy turned up.

The story begins with an elderly gentleman booking into a B&B in a small village in rural Ireland. Nobody knows him and nobody even notices him, until his body turns up in a lake four days later. Who was he? What happened to him? If you're thinking to yourself "ahh, that's the typical start to a work of fiction, that would never happen in real life !", it did. In Co. Sligo in 2009. I love it when a book is inspired by something that happened in real life.

The women running the family B&B where the ill-fated guest was staying take over as the main characters. The timescale moves back a few days so we see the man paying for his room, then we are introduced to the trio of women. Liv is a single mum to her teenage son, Shay, and I instantly fell in love with her as she timidly steps around him, savouring the brief exchanges when he lifts his head away from his social media accounts. (You can tell I'm the mother of teenage children - I could relate to her instantly !) Her twin sister Marianne has just arrived home, supposedly taking her annual leave from work, but Liv is sure there's more to it. Their mother Ethel keeps things running smoothly but does like a drink (or three !). 

I loved seeing the women interact with each other, with each character taking the narrative reins in successive chapters. As their stories unfold, we discover that they all feel trapped by their pasts and the difficult choices that they have made. They love each other dearly but have a complicated and complex relationship, full of resentment and frustration with each other, which really rings true. 

Following the guest's suicide, each of the women takes a sharp look at who they are, how they came to be that person and how they can move on. Despite dealing with some dark emotions, the book remains uplifting, putting the spotlight on the value of close family bonds and friendship.

I really enjoyed the local setting with its powerful background of religion, superstition and folk tales. The shocked cries of "Jesus Christ tonight!", for example, really reminded me of my childhood days playing with the Irish children next door and left me grinning, as did the constant black humour and witty replies of the sisters.

It's an enjoyable read, which I loved coming home to after a long day at work. There are deep questions within that will have you thinking long after you've turned the final page.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Legend Press (1 Sept. 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 180031941X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1800319417
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.9 x 19.81 cm

 

 Disclosure : I received a review copy of the book.