Book 2 - Joseph O'Connor "Star Of The Sea"
Jan. 8th, 2014 08:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jazzy_daveJoseph O'Connor "Star Of The Sea" (Vintage)
Joseph O’Connor’s Star of the Sea tells the story of the tortuous voyage from famine stricken Ireland to the Promised Land of the U.S. The refugees undertake the perilous journey in an effort to escape the horrors and deprivations of their pasts. The further they travel from home, the more they are burdened by the weight of past events. The rotting decks of the rickety old ship represent an intricate game of ‘Snakes and Ladders’ where character’s stars ascend though chance events only to ride back down the serpents tail again.
A murderer is on board the ‘Star of the Sea’, a killer whose identity is unclear. The masks are gradually lifted in this psychological study of transgression and desperation, an analysis that also includes accounts of great compassion and humanity. A difficult text to classify Star of the Sea is at once a ‘whodunnit’, a thriller, a love story and a historical fiction novel.
Passengers are segregated throughout the voyage, primarily thought the class barriers that exist between the First Class and steerage passenger, though issues such as nationality, religion and gender also play a part. As the novel progresses these borders are breached to reveal that it is what these characters share that results in the deepest rifts and most shocking consequences.
In this meticulously researched piece O’Connor interrogates the notion of English Imperialism as being the sole cause of Ireland’s misfortune. Other contributing factors, particularly the abject failure of Irish landlords to aid their starving tenants, are examined. A complex text, made up of personal recollections, letters, diaries, illustrations, newspaper articles and ballads. The density of form heightens the sense of verisimilitude achieved through insistent attention to detail and a compelling writing style.
Joseph O’Connor’s Star of the Sea tells the story of the tortuous voyage from famine stricken Ireland to the Promised Land of the U.S. The refugees undertake the perilous journey in an effort to escape the horrors and deprivations of their pasts. The further they travel from home, the more they are burdened by the weight of past events. The rotting decks of the rickety old ship represent an intricate game of ‘Snakes and Ladders’ where character’s stars ascend though chance events only to ride back down the serpents tail again.
A murderer is on board the ‘Star of the Sea’, a killer whose identity is unclear. The masks are gradually lifted in this psychological study of transgression and desperation, an analysis that also includes accounts of great compassion and humanity. A difficult text to classify Star of the Sea is at once a ‘whodunnit’, a thriller, a love story and a historical fiction novel.
Passengers are segregated throughout the voyage, primarily thought the class barriers that exist between the First Class and steerage passenger, though issues such as nationality, religion and gender also play a part. As the novel progresses these borders are breached to reveal that it is what these characters share that results in the deepest rifts and most shocking consequences.
In this meticulously researched piece O’Connor interrogates the notion of English Imperialism as being the sole cause of Ireland’s misfortune. Other contributing factors, particularly the abject failure of Irish landlords to aid their starving tenants, are examined. A complex text, made up of personal recollections, letters, diaries, illustrations, newspaper articles and ballads. The density of form heightens the sense of verisimilitude achieved through insistent attention to detail and a compelling writing style.
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