The Stolen Child by Lisa Carey {Goodreads}
Published by Orion Publishing Group in 2017
Hardback edition; 336 pages {BookDepository}
The Stolen Child transports us to St. Brigid’s, a remote island
off the west coast of Ireland. Its inhabitants, mostly women, live as if they
are in the past although the book is set between 1930 and 1960 – the story goes
back and forth all the time. For me, it felt as if the story was set in the 18th
century rather than the 20th and it creates and interesting
atmosphere within the novel.
We follow
the stories of Brigid, an American who arrives at the island with a very clear
purpose; Rose, a lovely woman everybody loves; Emer, Rose’s twin sister, who is
nothing like her sister and Niall, Emer’s son, who she believes will be claimed
by the good people, the fairies. Most people on the island mistrust Brigid when
she arrives but soon enough, Emer becomes a friend. Both find comfort in one
another but Brigid’s “mission” might destroy everything. I found Brigid’s and
Emer’s friendship to be both fascinating and frustrating at the same time
because although they understand what each other needs, they are also selfish
and it builds up a tension that goes throughout the entire narrative.
However, my
favourite character was Niall. He’s a very sweet child and loves her mother
very much but he also is suffocated by her. Emer is obsessed about the fairies
stealing his child and overprotects him. Her fear is understandable but
perverse at the same time and I couldn’t but feel sorry for both of them.
All in all,
this was a very interesting read. It fluctuates between reality, folklore and superstition
and shows how our actions can be influenced by them. The Stolen Child is a magical and engaging book and I recommend it especially
if you like books set in remote places and how that remoteness affects people.