‘This Must Be the Place’ by Maggie O’Farrell

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Daniel Sullivan, a linguistics professor, leads a complicated life. A New Yorker living in the wilds of Ireland, he has children in California he seldom sees, a father in Brooklyn he loathes, and his wife, Claudette, is a reclusive ex-film star who takes her privacy very seriously. Together they have made an idyllic life in the country, but a secret from Daniel’s past threatens to destroy their meticulously constructed and fiercely protected home. Daniel and Claudette are troubled but endlessly fascinating characters.

Mostly set in Ireland (but with frequent international globetrotting trips), this is an irresistible sophisticated love story full of humour and wisdom. O’Farrell is a master at capturing the nuance in relationship with beautiful writing and fresh descriptions of ordinary life. Being the skilled author that she is, she reveals things obliquely–O’Farrell doesn’t coddle her reader with too much telling. This book is about an extraordinary marriage and an unforgettable family and the things that draw us together or tear us apart. It is a story to lose yourself in and savour.

This novel literally starts off with a bang and I was drawn in immediately. There are time and character jumps throughout, which can be disorienting, but become satisfying as the story progresses. If you feel a bit of confusion just hang in there, all will become clear soon, and if it doesn’t, just keep a little cheat sheet with a few notes about the characters to jog your memory, and read some reviews. There won’t be many spoilers (at least no more than O’Farrell already includes herself with foreshadowing).

This award winning novel is my fifth book by this author, so I am over halfway to reading all of O’Farrell’s works, and each time I finish one, it becomes my latest favourite.