Review
Des Kenny applauds this remarkable collection from a local talent.
- A Storm Over Belfast
- New Island
A Storm Over Belfast
Towards the end of his remarkable literary career, Seán Ó Faoláin published a collection of stories entitled The Talking Trees, of which the title story had strong claims, from a structural point of view, to be the most perfect story every written. But while it is technically a brilliant piece of writing, the content leaves the reader cold as the story itself lacks vivacity.
In her short story Pimiento, one of the many jewels in the recently published collection, Storm Over Belfast, Mary O’Donnell may not have quite the technical proficiency of Ó Faoláin, but when it comes to heart, soul and human compassion, she leaves Cork’s great ‘Man of Letters’ far behind.
In Pimiento we meet Ellen, who finds herself in something of a social and personal quandary whether or not she should attend the funeral of Aidan Mackey - the local doctor, a solid member of the community and also her ex lover of eight years. In the struggle to make her mind up, she stands before her wardrobe deliberating on what she should wear for the occasion and, with infinite delicacy, O’Donnell uses this essentially female process to explore the depths of Ella’s torment as epitomised by the sentence: “When she thought of her childhood, she saw it as a sky-tinted stream, incredibly peaceful in comparison to the scarified inner life she now knew”.
As O’Donnell digs deeper, Ella’s confusion, self-pity and anger grow until an unwelcome interruption by her present would-be lover, Tom, forces her to a decision: “Quickly, she grabbed a red silk skirt and top and flung them on the bed. ‘My pimiento rig-out’ she muttered. ‘I’ll wear it for the funeral. One final blast!’“.
This act of defiance unleashes her frustration and anger, the first victim of which is the hapless Tom and the second victim her own equilibrium, as she arrives at the funeral vengeful and isolated. Then, with an extraordinary gentle and skilful competence, O’Donnell brings Ella face to face with a warm touch of humanity from a most unexpected quarter that “reached into her and at a touch released the wedge that had tormented her for so long”. The final sentence is a touch of genius: “She wished she had worn anything other than red”.
The depth of human understanding present here is repeated in many of the other nineteen stories in this refreshing collection. The main protagonists find themselves in situations similar to Ella’s but while our heroines and some heroes are on the edge and often isolated, they manage to come to terms with their own demons and move on.
Not all of the stories are totally successful, but this is to be expected. Perhaps The Story of Maria’s Son is more apt for a class in creative writing as it does not quite marry with the main tenor of the collection. It is, thankfully, the only blot here.
One of the most delightful aspects of the book is the sassiness of the writing, underlined, as it is, by a subtle eroticism that glimmers through the pages. This adds piquancy to the language, and O’Donnell explores the new possibilities this allows her to the full. The result is a wonderfully lively and engaging text that is often humorous and impish, sometimes ironic but always compelling.
Storm Over Belfast is a sparky collection of stories that are as innovative as they are compassionate. It is a difficult book to put down.
