Freedom Is A Land I Cannot See by Peter Cunningham

 

Freedom Is A Land I Cannot See by Peter Cunningham.

Published 25th June 2020 by Sandstone Press.

From the cover of the book:

1924. In the dangerous first years of the Irish Free State, beautiful Rose Raven, having lost her sight and her first love, is living quietly with her brother. But Ultan is involved in anti-government propaganda. 

As the net tightens, Rose is the only person who knows where the shameful truth is hidden – a truth so incendiary, it threatens the new Ireland itself.

'A superbly crafted novel... It conveys with great skill - probably better than any history book could - the conflicting, crisscrossing, complex loyalties of so many families caught up in those high-octane, dangerous times.' --The Irish Times

'A pacy plot, lyrical writing and compelling characters.' --Sunday Independent

'Timeless... A tragic story, but with enough warmth to ultimately feel life-affirming.' --Irish Independent

*************************************

What a cracking slow burner of a novel this turned out to be!

In this book, Peter Cunningham takes us right back to the dangerous and politically complex days before and after the Irish Free State was established in 1922.

The first part of the novel, which is set in 1924, introduces us to the lives of Rose Raven and her brother Ultan, who are living alone in a small house in Dublin, following the death of their parents. Rose has lost her sight and first love to the conflict that has raged through their homeland for the past few years, under circumstances that are only hinted at and Ultan, a journalist, is caught up in an anti-government campaign, compelled by what has happened in their recent past, which comes to be dangerous for them both.

This first part of the novel does take some getting into, as you do feel that you are missing quite a lot of the history behind the current predicament of the two siblings - which you are. Past goings on are hinted at in the conversations that take place between the siblings and their friends and neighbours, in a way that does not really tell you the details you need to know to piece everything together, but strangely this starts to matter less and less as Rose, Ultan and their friend Rudy get caught up in a plot to expose the truth about the impending famine in the West of Ireland. 

The second part of the novel takes us back to 1920, when the political and religious troubles are increasing. Rose, prior to the incident that took her sight, is living in her family home with both parents and her brother. This part of the novel serves to fill in all the gaps in your knowledge from the first part of the book, and as it does so, it imbues you with a sense of impending doom about the circumstances that must befall Rose, Ultan and Rudy to bring them where we know their story goes. It also fully explains why Rose and Ultan's family fall into a particularly difficult situation as the troubles culminate in brutal reprisals from both sides of the political divide.

As the missing pieces of the puzzle fall into place, it dawns on you how clever this unconventional story structure actually is. It is unusual to use the chronology of a novel in this way, as it's the kind of story that would normally be told in a dual timeline that moves back and forth throughout the book, but it works beautifully, and it certainly makes for an entertaining read that keeps you turning the pages to the very end.

But our author is not done with messing with our heads just yet... because there is also a final part to this novel, which casts everything is a different and intriguing light. It put me very much in mind of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and the way she uses her epilogue to put what we thought we knew into a historical perspective.

It's fair to say that this is a challenging read, and one which you really do need to have some knowledge of the complex political situation in Ireland around this time to understand fully. However, having said that it is also an intelligent, powerful and brilliantly written story of politics, betrayal, violence, fierce love, family, courage, and the compulsion to do what is right, that will leave you breathless and with lots to mull over in the wee small hours of the morning. Fabulous title too! Very impressive Mr Cunningham!

Freedom Is A Land I Cannot See is available to buy now from your favourite book retailer, or via Bookshop.org HERE.

Thank you to Peter Cunningham and Sandstone Press for gifting me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Peter Cunningham is from Waterford in the south east of Ireland. 

He is the author of the Monument series, widely acclaimed novels set in a fictional version of his home town. His novel, The Taoiseach was a controversial best seller; The Sea and the Silence won the prestigious Prix de l’Europe. 

He is a member of Aosdána, the Irish academy of arts and letters, and lives with his wife, not far from Dublin.