Long Island (Eilis Lacey #2) [B1128]

2024 HCDJ. From the beloved, critically acclaimed, bestselling author comes a spectacularly moving novel featuring Eilis Lacey, the complex and enigmatic heroine of Brooklyn, Tóibín's most popular work in twenty years. Named a Best Book of 2024 By Time Magazine, The New Yorker, Washington Post, NPR, The Guardian, The Times (London), The Irish Times, and more.

Eilis Lacey is Irish, married to Tony Fiorello, a plumber and one of four Italian American brothers, all of whom live in neighboring houses on a cul-de-sac in Lindenhurst, Long Island, with their wives and children and Tony's parents, a huge extended family. It is the spring of 1976 and Eilis is now forty with two teenage children. Though her ties to Ireland remain stronger than those that hold her to her new land and home, she has not returned in decades. One day, when Tony is at work an Irishman comes to the door asking for Eilis by name. He tells her that his wife is pregnant with Tony's child and that when the baby is born, he will not raise it but instead deposit it on Eilis's doorstep. It is what Eilis does-and what she refuses to do-in response to this stunning news that makes Tóibín's novel so riveting and suspenseful. Long Island is a gorgeous story "about a woman thrashing against the constraints of fate" (Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air). It is "a wonder, rich with yearning and regret" (Star Tribune, Minneapolis).

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Simply wonderful. I didn't want it to end - but I think there will be another one."; "So much left unsaid!! Crying. Irish literature just hits."; "I've seen reviews criticizing this book for being passionless, but I think it's quite the opposite. The tension, angst, and repressed feelings made for a stressful read, and, now that it's over, I think I feel sorry for absolutely every single character for one reason or another, even the ones who made questionable choices and hurt others along the way. I LOVED it."; "This book's strengths lie in how deeply we come to feel for Eilis and how much we consider the cause and effect of situations happening in her life. While I came to care for Eilis all over again (after having read Brooklyn over a decade ago) she and her loved ones certainly caused no lack of frustration throughout the novel. It could have been easy to judge any individual character's choices, but Toibin causes each one to be seen as imperfectly human, and capable of inciting empathy. The way Toibin injects realism into his writing is striking and impactful, sticking with a reader long after finishing the story. While this book can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading Brooklyn first. The development of key characters from the first book to the second impacts the reader and shouldn't be missed, in my opinion."