Mouthing, by Orla Mackey - Tom
Narrated by several generations of villagers, Mouthing traces the fortunes of one small community from the mid-20th century to the early 21st, in a series of highly confessional and darkly hilarious monologues. The good people of Ballyrowan delight in twisting the knife, in tormenting one another, in perfecting the art of schadenfreude. And, it becomes clear, none of them are entirely reliable witnesses.
Although set in rural Ireland I feel the story could be transferred to any small village in any country in the world. They all have their idiosyncrasies and characters. The book reflects the Irish love of “home” wherever they may live in the world. Most of the characters in this book never leave or move far from home.
For readers not familiar with Irish idioms, some words and phrases are peculiarly Irish and may be confusing. An example of this can be found in the use of the word Ditch, which in England is a trench, like alongside a road or field, but in Ireland can mean a stone wall or hedge. In both cases it is a boundary marker of sorts.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book with the myriad of characters and how their lives interlocked even if only in passing.
Tom
