Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise

We first meet Saoirse in the beautiful coastal county of Donegal, Ireland, as the millennium year approaches. Saoirse has a devoted partner, two beautiful daughters and a rising star as a talented artist.

But then we step back from her seemingly safe, secure home and beautiful wild coastal setting, and layer by layer, her past is revealed.  Her upbringing in North America and her experiences of homelessness, an addicted mother, violence, abuse and drug peddling push her into a corner.

As a seventeen-year-old, desperately trying to find a way to get away and save her little sister, she begins her escape. Named as Sarah on a stolen passport, she takes a flight from America to Ireland and becomes known as Saoirse.

This is not a straightforward journey as she is drawn into a relationship with an Irishman, his family and his friends. She is searching for a place to belong, and after some struggles, Saoirse does seem to find love, security and a place to be.  But belonging, family and the opportunity to express herself through painting in this beautiful place are all built on deceit. However, her success as an artist, an exhibition and a prize invite attention. Can she stay hidden and keep her secret?  Time and truth inevitably catch up with Saoirse, and she faces the prospect of losing it all.

Saoirse, her name meaning “freedom” in Irish, and her journey to escape her past is the core of this story. The reader travels with her, seeing the world and other people through her eyes. As a reader, I was drawn into Saoirse’s feelings, her reactions and thoughts and fully engaged in her decisions. And there are a few nail-biting moments, for herself and for the reader, where her path is not clear and she is forced to choose what path to take, whether to escape or to hide, to trust or to tell, to stay or to run.

The landscape of the wild Donegal coast, with its sea, sands and rocks, is an integral part of the story, like a character in its impact on the people of the story.  And it is clear that this beautiful place, brought to life by vivid and lyrical descriptions, is deeply loved by the author.

There are many themes here that invite thought and discussion: unstable childhoods, self-expression through art, social attitudes in Ireland and Irish culture, so a great book to share and discuss.

This is an emotional and compelling tale of a young woman desperate to forge a path away from a fraught and unstable childhood towards a life where she is safe and free to be who she wants to be. And with little to lose, she prepared to take extreme action.  

Reviewer: Clare Lyon

Eriu