Review
Deirdre O’Brien thinks she’s discovered a new favourite writer…
- John the Revelator
- Faber & Faber
John the Revelator
Enniscorthy born author Peter Murphy’s astounding debut novel, John the Revelator, represents one of the most charming narrative portrayals of an Irish family written for many years; this family being the less than ordinary John and his bible-quoting, chain-smoking mother Lily Divine.
Set in a remote town in rural Ireland over a somewhat indeterminate time period the novel revolves around John - named after the saint - and the lives of those around him. The story begins appropriately with John’s birth: “I was born in a storm. My mother said the thunder was so loud she flinched when it struck, strobes of lightening and slam-dancing winds and volleys of rain for hours until it blew itself out and sloped off like a spent beast”. From there the narrative flows rhythmically through his childhood; exploring the relationship between mother and son, dipping into fresh characters from the locality – including the absolute demon, Mrs Nagle – and giving the reader an insight into their lives. Each chapter is interspersed with incredibly surreal, nightmarish, foreboding dream sequences; which have their own part to play in proceedings. The novel leads up to the life-changing series of circumstances that John, the adolescent, has been unknowingly facing since his birth. Here, the character of Jamey Corbery comes into play as John’s first real friend. This acquaintance leads John into many unchartered territories. At the same time we see the relationship between John and Lily develop and secrets of the past emerge. The gripping, life altering moments are a work of excellence and by the end of the book, the reader is left craving more. John the Revelator is an excellent piece of modern fiction. The characters are so well developed and the series of events are so perfectly driven that the book is impossible to put down until the very last page. If this is an example of what book lovers can look forward to from Peter Murphy, it would seem that he is well on his way to becoming one of Ireland’s literary greats.
Deirdre O’Brien