Editorial note: I received a copy of The Irish Goodbye in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O’Neill is a stirring and emotional read about a family coming to terms with its complicated past.
I quite enjoy literary stories revolving around dysfunctional families. They are great picks for book clubs as there’s usually so much to discuss and analyze. They are more slow-burning type stories, and really take the time diving into each character and their respective motivations.
And then add a holiday to the mix, and that makes it even more of a page-turner.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a story about a family coming back together during a holiday. The last one was Flight by Lynn Steger Strong, which was interesting and thought-provoking. So I was quite excited to start The Irish Goodbye, focusing on a family coming back together for the Thanksgiving holiday.
The family experienced a devastating loss years ago, and everyone was forever changed. But there’s also quite a bit of secrets and resentments at play too. The Irish Goodbye is one of those stories I didn’t want to put down, and I was curious to see how all the storylines would unfold.
What’s the Story About
The story follows three sisters as they return to their family home in Long Island to spend Thanksgiving with their parents. Twenty years ago, there was a fatal accident on their brother Topher’s boat, and it was a defining moment for the family. Now, as they get ready for the holiday, each sister carries a huge secret.
The oldest sister, Cait, is a single mother of two toddlers, who has always been so career-driven, but now she’s at a turning point. The middle sister, Alice, always does the right thing and has a stable household with a reliable husband and two boys. But she’s received news that could derail all her plans for the future. And the youngest, Maggie, is bringing her girlfriend home for the holiday, but she’s terrified of what her catholic mother will think.
As everyone is together under one roof again, tensions build and secrets are soon revealed. Can the family finally heal and move forward?
The Sisters
Something that was striking about the Ryan family is that they seem like any other family. No one is famous. And they are not super wealthy. Which is refreshing because a lot of times family sagas are more like ‘rich people problems,’ and that was not the case here.
Alice and Maggie are certainly trying their best. While Alice took it upon herself to stay in the same town they grew up in, raise her family there, and also be present for her aging parents. But she’s also put her interests aside for her family. She’s slowly trying to return to the workforce. I feel many could relate to Alice, but also see where she needs to put herself first, too.
Maggie is not fully comfortable living openly as a gay woman, and she is always concerned about what her mother thinks and about not being accepted. So bringing her girlfriend home is a huge step that she’s not quite ready for. She wants to keep things calm and not cause a scene, but she also needs to have more of a backbone.
Cait, on the other hand, is pretty selfish. She’s not exactly present as a parent, nor with her parents or sisters. She moved to London and built a life far away from everyone, but she’s clearly unhappy, and always seems to have a drink in hand as well. And she decides to invite her high school crush, who has a shared painful past with her family.
Of the three, Cait was the most frustrating. While there is plenty of context for why she acts as she does, it got pretty extreme at times. But at the same time, you kind of need a character like this to balance it all out.
Coming to Terms with Grief
Literary fiction during the holidays, whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, is usually quite introspective and features a family at a crossroads. I think most people throughout the year are too busy to deal with old wounds, the past, and unresolved tension, if they don’t live close by. But when everyone is under one roof, it all usually comes to the surface.
Adding the holiday is an engaging layer, and it also adds tension. There are no passive-aggressive texts—they are all face-to-face and need to finally address issues.
With the Ryan Family, you also have several layers of grief. Their brother Topher left a mark, and his actions caused rippling effects that are felt today. I feel everyone needed therapy right after the tragic boating accident, and maybe things would have turned out differently.
But yet, they didn’t. And they have to learn to finally forgive.
Verdict
The Irish Goodbye is quite the engaging read. There’s family drama, but mainly it’s a look into the long-lasting nature of grief, and how it can alter a family forever. But the story is also hopeful.
This is a great selection for book clubs. Check out my book club questions here.
