The Gathering by Anne Enright

I wasn't particularly attached to the plot of the novel, nor was I intrigued by the Irish familial context and Irish history addressed by Enright. I'm not interested in family dysfunction and I couldn't care less for the wellbeing of the characters.

What caught my attention and kept me transfixed throughout the literary journey was the emotion. The emotion of the separate characters sticks to the words of the author like feathers to tar. I felt compelled to keep reading - I couldn't jump ship halfway through because I felt that I needed to release the emotion to be truly rid of the narrative. I met my need for catharsis by dutifully reading to the end.

The Guardian reviewed the novel and summarises the plot well:

The plot, shaped around a protagonist who undergoes a shock, is knocked back physically and psychologically into past times and past places. Then comes the conclusion, where present and future are reformed in the light of histories that are suddenly newly perceived. Here Veronica Hegarty loses her already lost, lovely alcoholic brother Liam. His funeral sinks her back into the gathered ranks of her rambling Irish family - the dysfunctional, drinking, blue-eyed Hegartys. Meanwhile, Liam's ghost hounds her out through memories and fantasies: her apparently tidy existence, her husband and children seeming more distant with each thought.

I can't really say more than this, except for imploring you to read the novel and compare experiences with mine. Well worth a space on your bookshelf or bedside table.