Book Review: "Long Island" by Colm Tóibín

I’m trying to decide which concept I like better: knowing a sequel to a book you enjoyed is coming out, or being completely surprised because it’s been a while since the first book was published. In the case of Long Island, Colm Tóibín’s latest book, I had no idea that he was writing a sequel to Brooklyn, a book I really enjoyed and a movie I loved even more.

It’s 1976, and Eilis Lacey is in her 40s and lives in Lindenhurst, Long Island, with her husband Tony and their two teenage children. Eilis and Tony live on a cul-de-sac along with Tony’s parents and two of his three brothers. Tony works with his brothers and his family dominates every aspect of Eilis’ life. She often thinks of her mother and brother back in Ireland.

One day, a man comes looking for Eilis. He tells her his wife is pregnant with Tony’s child, and he refuses to raise another man’s baby. He vows that when the baby is born, he will bring it to Tony and Eilis, even leaving it on their doorstep if he must.

Eilis feels betrayed and humiliated by this revelation. While Tony and his family try to figure out how they will deal with the impending arrival of a baby, Eilis wants no part of it. Instead, she travels home to Ireland for the first time in 20 years, ostensibly to celebrate her mother’s 80th birthday, and her children will follow soon after.

Enniscorthy, the Irish town where Eilis grew up, has both changed and stayed the same since she was last there. Her return does stir up gossip from her last trip, but as she tries to process the situation with her marriage, she wonders what her future holds.

I’ve always been a fan of Tóibín’s writing, and it was amazing to reconnect with Eilis and other characters from Brooklyn. This is a quietly powerful, thought-provoking, and moving book, which could be read as a standalone, but I’d recommend reading Brooklyn too, either before or after.