Black and Irish voices have emerged in recent years and this debut is an astonishing addition to the ongoing conversations.
The memoir takes us from 1974 to present-day Ireland through the eyes of the author, Marguerite Penrose. Born with congenital scoliosis in St Patrick’s Mother and Baby Home on Dublin’s Navan Road, Penrose writes about her experiences as a mixed-race girl growing up in the city. Offering a brief glimpse into her life at this home before moving in with her foster family, she gives us a unique avenue to understand this hidden element of Irish history. Her warm and deeply personal memoir celebrates her achievements and exposes the struggles she had to endure.
Penrose carefully describes the heartbreaking reality of living with a disability. Articulating the pain, she explains that what she suffered as a result of her illness was “no one’s fault” but still remained one of her “biggest traumas”.
The style of this book should not be underestimated. The autobiographical form gives the writer a fitting and necessary sense of ownership over her narrative. The memoir is a quick read and easy to navigate, thanks to the simplicity of its form and the power of its subject matter – identity.
The question of who her biological parents are and the circumstances surrounding her birth follow Penrose throughout her life. She takes us with her on this bewildering search. Where does she belong? Where is she really from? During this pursuit she comes to settle on the fact that she could be both black and Irish and “there was nothing contradictory about it”, a revelation that many of us carry.
This moving work is for everyone. It celebrates the diversity of Irishness and the endless possibilities of what it means to be Irish. This memoir is deeply needed and will leave a lasting imprint on the hearts of many in years to come.
