N is for Nolan

Ireland is one of the most beautiful places I've visited. It is a country in which I felt very at home. When I saw a book set in Ireland on the N shelves of my library, I was quite excited. I had my choices narrowed down to two and of course went with the Irish book. My selection for my N book is Christopher Nolan's "The Banyan Tree".

Before I get started with the review of the book, I'm going to tell you a bit about the author. From the back inside cover, I read that Christopher Nolan was deprived of oxygen at birth and therefore was paralyzed and mute. Despite this, he was able to use a stick attached to his forehead to type. It took Nolan over a decade to write "The Banyan Tree". Nolan was working on a second novel when in 2009, he choked on a piece of fish and died.

Now that you know a bit about the man who wrote this book, let me say jabberwocky! This is what I felt I was reading for nearly 400 pages. I've never liked "Through the looking glass" for that reason. I don't like jabberwocky! There was a wonderful story in "The Banyan Tree," but it was so hard to find. I realize that the author was Irish and the English of the Irish and the English of the American are not always the same. I get that. He used different words for common things. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the long, rambling sentences that were placed in the novel for no apparent reason. I remember one paragraph, toward the end of the novel, that was one very, very, very long sentence. There were probably over 100 words in the one sentence. Sometimes it went from jabberwocky to sounding like a bad poetry jam. Despite the annoying way Nolan wrote, I loved the story and I truly loved the main character.

This is the story of Minnie O'Brien of Drumhollow in Ireland. Minnie is the wife of Peter and the mother of Brendan, Sheila and Francis. She is a passionate woman, a loving woman and an incredibly strong woman. As we turn the pages, we see Minnie go from young bride to middle aged widow to old, sometimes senile, woman waiting to hand down her farm to her favorite child. We read of the highs and lows of this strong Fenian woman. This is truly Minnie's story though we do get to make acquaintance with Minnie's parents, the neighboring family the Fortunes, the town midwife and we learn a secret about Minnie's husband Peter.

Like many mothers, Minnie sees her children leave the fold one by one. Her oldest Brendan is called at a young age to be a priest. We follow Brendie from afar as he leaves for seminary, is ordained, goes to Africa and eventually returns home wearing the ring of a Bishop. Sheila, the only daughter feels her calling to be a nurse. She lands in Dublin as the wife of an overbearing, over-protective wealthy man who traps her in a sad and oppressive marriage. Then there is Francis, the favorite. Minnie's youngest child is the reason she lives. Frankie, as he's called, is expected to care for his mother and their farm when his father dies suddenly. Frankie has other ideas though and can't wait to leave Ireland. Minnie holds on day after day, year after year knowing that Frankie will come walking through the gate at any time. One of the mysteries of this novel is whether Frankie will return and if he'll return in time to see his mother one last time.

"The Banyan Tree" is a beautiful story hidden in the rambling (though many reviewers call it lyrical) writing of Christopher Nolan. While I never got on the same page as those who adore his writing style, I loved the story. I turned the pages to see if Frankie would come home, to hear the sometimes hilarious ramblings of Minnie and to lavish in the green sod of Ireland. Recommending this book is hard for me. If you love abstract paintings, you would likely enjoy the novel. If you see swirls and paint splatters on canvas as swirls and splatters, you probably won't.