Audiobook [9 hours] read by Emma Lowe
HarperCollins, July 2020
Set over three intense days in a short-staffed maternity/fever ward in Dublin during the deadly 1918 flu epidemic: this novel's content resonates strongly in our contemporary time of pandemic.
About a third of the world's population died of flu in 1918, which puts COVID-19 into perspective. The title, The Pull of the Stars, refers to the Italian origins of the word influenza.
[...] influenza delle stelle, the influence of the stars. Medieval Italians thought the illness proved that the heavens were governing their fates, that people were, quite literally, star crossed.
And, speaking of star crossed, there are two women who fall in love over the course of the story. Feminist and social justice issues are central, particularly women's suffrage; Irish independence; and the criminal treatment of unwed mothers and their children in church-run institutions. Parallels are drawn between soldiers paying a blood tax in the Great War, which is happening concurrently, and the price women pay as child-bearers.
It happens every day the world over. Women have babies, and they die. No, I corrected myself. They die of having babies. It's hardly news, so I don't know why it still fills me with such rage.
The language of war is applied to the flu itself.
This weird malady. It took months for the flu to defeat some patients, sneaking up on them by way of pneumonic complications, battling for every inch of territory. Others succumbed to it in a matter of hours.
The tone is surprisingly upbeat. The three main protagonists are idealistic women, full of energy and enthusiasm for their work. Secondary characters and absurd government decrees add dashes of humour.
Nailed up under a street lamp, a new notice, longer than usual.
THE PUBLIC IS URGED TO STAY OUT OF PUBLIC PLACES SUCH AS CAFES, THEATRES, CINEMAS AND PUBLIC HOUSES. SEE ONLY THOSE PERSONS ONE NEEDS TO SEE. REFRAIN FROM SHAKING HANDS, LAUGHING OR CHATTING CLOSELY TOGETHER. IF ONE MUST KISS, DO SO THROUGH A HANDKERCHIEF. SPRINKLE SULPHUR IN THE SHOES. IF IN DOUBT, DON'T STIR OUT.
Since it's set in a maternity ward -- albeit one temporarily set up in a cramped former storage room, because the hospital is beyond capacity -- there are births as well as deaths. There is much medical detail and I have come away knowing way more than I ever wanted to about midwifery. There is a reassuring sense of hope, of a larger perspective.
And one of these days, even this flu will have run its course.
Really? Mary O'Reilly asked. How can you be sure?
The human race settles on terms with every plague in the end, the doctor told her. Or a stalemate, at the least. We somehow muddle along, sharing the earth with each new form of life.
Bridie frowned. This grippe's a form of life?
Dr Lynn nodded and covered a yawn with her hand. In a scientific sense, yes. A creature with no malign intention, only a craving to reproduce itself, much like our own.
Giller chances: MAYBE - While the characterization and setting are vivid, the messaging sometimes overtakes the story and the plot falls back on tired tropes. The Pull of the Stars is especially suited to readers who like to learn about history and other interesting things through fiction, which is not typically the kind of book that wins awards. On the other hand, the fact that it is so in tune with our current times may earn it a spot on the longlist.
NOTE: The quotes above are my own transcriptions from the audiobook and may differ in print. I am aware that Emma Donoghue chose to eliminate speech quotations in this novel, and so I have done that. Emma Lowe, as audiobook narrator, subtly changes Irish accents for the differing social status and backgrounds of the characters. It's an excellent, engaging performance.
This post is part of a series. I'm on the Shadow Giller jury this year, so I'm reading as many qualifying Canadian titles as possible in order to come up with my own longlist prediction before the official one that will be announced on September 8, 2020. To see my other reviews that are a part of this project, click on the Shadow Giller tag. Also, please visit our Shadowing the Best of CanLit website to see what the rest of the Shadow Giller jury are up to. Thanks for visiting my blog.
2 comments:
This sounds good to me. I've always liked reading about pandemics and plagues, long before this newest one showed up. Good timing for her book, though!
Naomi, I feel the same way about books about pandemics. Plague and war put people under pressure, and when we are under pressure, that's when we are truly tested.
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