FictionNiall Williams is an author well-praised for his lyrical prose and understanding of the power of human love. His previous novels include the bestselling Four Letters of Love.
This, his fourth, is a story about grief. Actually, it is two stories about two different types of grief, both suffered by the same person at different stages of his life. The first story is set in the present, the second in the past. Both run on parallel lines over alternate chapters. In what is presumably an attempt to avoid confusion, the chapters containing the first story - i.e. those set in the present - are printed in italics. And it is here that we start off with Jim Foley, a widower and writer living on the outskirts of a village in Co Clare, as he struggles to comfort and heal his two children after the death of their mother. In the meantime, he tries to come to terms with her death by speaking directly to her through the written word, a device that will eventually become the novel we are now reading. And yes, it is a bit confusing, but persevere.
The second, and by far superior story, is that of Jim Foley's past and of how he drags the legacy of his dead baby sister through his life, from boyhood and further on into manhood. It is a simple exploration of the effects of unexpressed grief on an entire family. The relationships within the family are beautifully handled and relayed through the eyes of young Jim, as he watches each member withdraw and hide. His brother takes cover behind his mathematical genius, his mother's refuge is her Singer sewing machine, which she uses compulsively to make dresses for children in Africa. Even his father uses the stroke he has suffered as a sort of shell into which he can crawl. Jim steals books. He gets solace as well as companionship from the fictional characters who come to live in his head.
This section of the book is simply wonderful. There are scenes so raw that it almost physically hurts to read them. Some of the writing is nothing short of exceptional and there are touches worthy of McGahern in the descriptive passages - although it has to be said that sometimes the amount of grey and rain can make Angela's Ashes look like a Caribbean holiday. From Dublin to America, and back again to Co Clare, Williams manages to keep Jim's past life tightly and superbly controlled. Why, oh why, did he not stick to this? Maybe I am missing the point but I feel this part of the novel is powerful enough to stand on its own and gains nothing from the convoluted parallel piece which, with its irritating italics and facile ending, proves a hindrance to what should have been a very fine book indeed.
Christine Dwyer Hickey's latest novel, Tatty, was published by New Island earlier this year
Only Say the Word: A Novel By Niall Williams Picador, 264pp. £12.99