It has been 10 years since The Spinning Heart (my review), and in this small town in rural Ireland, County Tipperary, not a lot seems to have changed, or maybe it has. Previously it was economic collapse, lack of employment, toxic masculinity and how the actions of one man affected a community.
In Donal Ryan’s heart, be at peace we meet many of the cast from the past, another 21 voices some years further on, with a new set of troubles affecting the community.
Some are faring rather well financially, but not everyone is happy about the activities they are involved in and their loved ones who might be affected. Suspicion, mistrust, grief, regret prevail and all manner of connections have been formed and remade.
Births, Deaths and Estrangements
One of the most intriguing characters that I could have happily read a novel on and one of the few characters that does stand out was Lily, described as a witch by training and a whore by inclination, estranged from her son, then made up over her granddaughter Millicent who turns up at her door one day.
Having the gift of insight, she can see her granddaughter will find little solace with the boy she’s seeing. When she asks her granny for a spell to bind him always to her for fear of losing him, she knows there will be trouble ahead.
I explained to her again that the spells weren’t real magic, that the power of them was already inside the people who wanted them, the spells just allowed them the use of it, that the magic was in their faith that the magic would work and she screamed at me then, That’s what I want, Granny, that’s what I want, to have faith that he’ll always love me, that he’ll never leave me. I can’t bear the thought of losing him, of some other bitch touching him. He’s MINE, Granny, he’s mine.
A Chorus of Voices
The way the novel is written with short chapters from multiple character viewpoints, we can only discern what happens next to some of those we meet along the way, as we imagine the implications of all that is revealed. It is a novel that might be better understood after multiple readings, as it takes some work to connect and reconnect the different voices. It’s a kind of fly-on-the-wall polyphonic chorus.
In a way, the novel reading experience is like being in the presence of a community but not really knowing them, observing for a while reveals some connections but not others.
Some men can lie with such ease that they quickly begin to believe themselves, and so in a way their lies become truth and their sin is expunged.
I have a few of Donal Ryan’s novels and I do recall having a little difficulty with his Booker longlisted debut mentioned above, and then absolutely loving All We Shall Know (reviewed here), then not being impressed at all by Strange Flowers. So a bit hit and miss for me, but one I’ll keep reading as he seems to have his finger on the pulse of contemporary community issues.
I enjoyed heart, be at peace and its themes, but it is a novel that is unlikely to stay with me due to the vast cast of character voices that too often became indiscernable for me.
Author, Donal Ryan
Donal Ryan is an award winning author from Nenagh, County Tipperary where this latest novel is set. His work has been published in over twenty languages to critical acclaim.
heart, be at peace won Novel of the Year and the Overall Grand Prize of Book of the Year at the An Irish Book Awards in 2024, described by the Irish Times an “absorbing, emphatic story of a community in trouble”
Maria Dickenson, Chair of the Judging Panel, said:
“Heart, Be at Peace was the unanimous choice of the judges from among the fantastic array of titles shortlisted this year. Donal Ryan’s writing has earned him a place among the greatest names in Irish literature and this lyrical novel speaks to the very heart of modern Irish society. Weaving twenty one voices together, Ryan portrays the passions, frailties and sorrows of one Irish town with compassion and clarity. Heart, Be at Peace is a masterful achievement and we congratulate Donal warmly on winning this award.”
Word by Word 
I felt the same way about The Spinning Heart and I don’t think I’ll be bothering with its sequel.
But I’ve admired the others I’ve read:
Strange Flowers (2020), by Donal Ryan
From a Low and Quiet Sea (2018), by Donal Ryan
The Thing About December (2014), by Donal Ryan, which is my favourite.
I seem to have missed All We Shall Know…
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I recommend All We Shall Know. I am glad I read Heart, Be at Peace, even if it’s not a favourite. Clearly it sparked the judges interest to have won the overall book prize, so interesting in terms of what is deemed to be relevant to that culture in 2024. Challenging times indeed though.
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Oh, Claire, good to have you back, I missed you! I hope you enjoyed the months on ‘not blogging’ (…time to recharge the batteries!) and are ready to read many great books in 2025. I’ve read 2 books by Donal Ryan and unfortunately both were disappointments. But..never fear writers improve with age! Winning Grand Prize of Book of the Year at the An Irish Book Awards in 2024 is proof!
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Thank you Nancy, I hope you’ve been reading lots and I look forward to seeing what your plans are in 2025.
Donal Ryan is an interesting one, and certainly one to read to get an inside look at the culture from that small town perspective, even if it aint all pretty. I prefer it when he focuses on fewer characters, but admire the talent for carrying 21 voices!
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Donal Ryan seems to be an author whose flame is guttering a bit. So far I’ve only read one of his (Strange Flowers), and loved it. But recent reviews have shown him in a less glowing light. Let’s hope he gets his mojo back!
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I think he’s doing pretty well, winning the Novel of the Year and the overall book prize, I think his work will always be relevant because he likes to tackle issues, though some or more successful than others in my opinion.
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Yes, I do like his work and themes: but he is a bit patchy.
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I loved The Spinning Heart, and I found it fascinating how he was able to tell a story of a whole community rather than focusing on individuals. The danger of doing that, of course, is that things become a little too disparate and unfocused, and it sounds like that happened here. I’d still like to give this one a try, though. Thanks for posting about it!
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Yes, that is the risk, butas you say, it is still interesting, I found myself more engaged by some characters than others and I know how captivating Donal Ryan can be when he focuses on fewer characters. But I do think this one is also interesting in terms of how the issues have evolved since The Spinning Heart. I hope you read it!
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Serendipity at work. I think we started blogging around the same time in 2011 or so. You were one of my favorite sites to visit and I have so many books you recommended, including The Spinning Heart. But then a few years ago (was it that long?) I lost track of you. Did you stop reviewing for a while?
I’m so happy to have found you again. As I’ve been catching up, I came across this review of Ryan’s book and immediately recognized the cover–which I love–having seen it on Owen Gent’s site where he designs book covers. He recently completed the cover design for my novel, which I will be revealing shortly on my blog. One of the reason’s I chose Owen was because of his Ryan covers. While that style doesn’t fit with my current novel, it does with the one that will be coming out next. And he’s such a wonderful artist, i knew if the cover I wanted using Paul Klee’s artwork didn’t turn out, he could design something original I would love.
So, is this what they call serendipity? I find you and your reviews again and find Owen’s book cover in your line-up!
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Hi Deborah,
I’m happy you found your way back to my blog again through a serendipitous event. I think I lost many of my original subscribers when I changed my blog domain to clairemcalpine.com from clairemca.wordpress
Congratulations on your forthcoming novel and the cover design. I’m working on a memoir series at the moment, when I’m in that kind of writing mode my blog goes quiet as the reading becomes a distraction to where I should be putting my energy and also as an act of being kind to myself.
Yes, I did stop for a while, my 17 year old daughter passed away in Aug 2019, so life turned for us, and then not long after the world changed.
No matter what goes on out there, this space remains whenever I choose to reignite it. It makes no demands, there are no obligations or expectations, just a blank page to share meanderings.
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