DWRF 2017: Hannah Kent with Majella Cullinane

Hannah Kent (below) looks so young.  Her skin is flawless, and even in a sweater and spectacles she radiates youthful thoughtfulness. But don’t be fooled: Hannah Kent may be in her early 30’s (i.e. young) but she speaks with the wisdom of an older and wiser soul.  Maybe it’s because she’s read so widely – she listed the classics she ploughed through in her late teens and early twenties at the Metamorphosis Gala Event on Friday night – or maybe, like Lady Gaga, she was born that way. Whatever the case, it was a pleasure to listen to her thoughtful responses to astute questioning by ex-Burns Fellow Majella Cullinane.  

Hannah Kent has set her second book The Good People in rural Ireland and Cullinane is Irish, so the fit felt right in this session. It was really interesting to listen to Kent tell her writerly evolution story, from PhD manuscript for university to winning her first award and, with it, a mentorship with Geraldine Brooks. Kent also explained where the seed of this second book was located: in a newspaper article that piqued her interest whilst researching her first book in Iceland. She talked about the huge amount of research that went into The Good People, including a trip to Ireland during which  she trawled through microfiche newspapers from the time, and discussed Irish folklore with generous hosts.

When Hannah read from her book, she impressed with her Irish accent during sections of dialogue. I admired her greatly in that moment, for she was doing so in the company of an Irish host! But such is the strength of her work; the words flowed off the page with Irish intonation, and anything less would perhaps have sounded wrong.  

This is an author at the beginning of promising and already fruitful career. Hannah Kent has already experienced incredible success after writing only two books; I’m really looking forward to what she will do next.

Attended and reviewed by Lara Liesbeth

The Good People
by Hannah Kent
Published by Pan Macmillan
ISBN 9781743534908

Book Review: The Good People, by Hannah Kent

 

Available now in bookshops nationwide.

How do we know that our lives are ours to lead? What if bad luck arose from a past wrong? These are the questions at the heart of Hannah Kent’s new novel, The Good People.

Nora has lost her daughter and is raising her grandson. The boy, Micheal, was once a thriving toddler, but at four he is paralysed, twisted and incoherent. Then her husband also dies and she is left alone to struggle against the growing rumours of evil, faeries and unseen spirits.

Here is an old tale, but told in poetic language which evokes the mists and lanes of Ireland. It is a bleak existence where the community in the valley live close and watch carefully. The Priest, a man of Christian virtue and upright morals, has no time for discussions about the Good People. He offers little support to Nora, condemning her from the pulpit each week, but not prepared to support her. So Nora turns to the wise woman. It is Nance Roche who births the children and heals the ills of the valley folk. So it is Nance who offers what support she can – and it is Nance who pays the price.

Hannah Kent’s debut novel, Burial Rites, was well received in her native Australia. This, her second book, will not disappoint her readers. Evocative language beautifully captures the landscape: “Samhain Eve came upon the valley, announced by a wind that smelt of rotting oak leaves and the vinegar tang of rotting apples”. So we see decay is here to stay.

Likewise, Kent captures the language of the people with the twists of phrase and the lilt of the Irish. “But the people here do be having a spiritual temper, Father. Sure we all have faith in the things of the invisible world. We’re a most religious people.” So says the wise Nance to the Priest.

While at times the story moved slowly, I think this accurately communicated the twists and turns of life in the valley. It is a sad tale and things move with the seasons, in their own time. This is a beautiful read from an author who knows the landscape, the people and the history of Ireland in the 1820’s.

Reviewed by Kathy Watson

The Good People
by Hannah Kent
Published by Picador
ISBN 9781743534908