A fabulous novel from Colm Toibin, who I was reading for the first time.It's beautifully written. There's that typical Irish love of language but he doesn't show off.
Set in the 1950s it's all about Eilis, who is encouraged to leave her mother and older spinster sister behind to go to new York, where an Irish priest has arranged a job and lodging. She's homesick, but gets over it, does well at her job in a department store and meets a nice Italian boy. Then bad news at home sends her back to Ireland where she has to decide whether or not she's staying.
Eilis comes across as an amazingly real person. You're rooting for her right from the start but bit by bit you realise that she's not quite as nice a person as some people think. There's a hard streak in her.
A great read.
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