I knew I would have difficulty in finishing this book because it is 496 pages long. Don't get me wrong it wasn't that I didn't want to finish reading it. But I'm a busy TD and Minister of State with limited opportunity. So the question is begged if I had difficulty in finding time read it how on earth did Ma ire Geoghegan Quinn find the time to write it?
It is a feat akin to that of the dancing bear. The wonder is not that it is done well but that it is done at all. Writing a novel is never easy even when, as Maire Geoghegan Quinn made clear at her book launch, it is not a work of literature. What she is aiming at is the kind of story that someone might buy at an airport to enjoy on a long flight. And there's nothing wrong with that. The airport genre of writing is one with which I'm not too familiar, but it is certainly a popular and a lucrative one.
Although, of course, this isn't just another blockbuster for the book stands. The authorship generates a particular interest among the public as well as the predictable questions who is in it? And are there any dirty bits?
Actually, on both scores, there is nothing to offend a God fearing common member anywhere in the country. The sex isn't anything like as naked as the ambition. Writing this book won't do Maire Geoghegan Quinn's stature any harm, but it's not likely to do it much good, either.
Considering her vast experience, the lack of a political context is surprising. There are no political ideas, of course. They are overshadowed by personalities, but even the personalities are overshadowed by power itself.
The story is about the coming of age of four girls. It is light and readable, and the only lesson to be learned from it is was never to become the mother of a female politician. If this book is anything to go by, mother gets written out or written off. I was reminded of the famous omission by Margaret Thatcher of her mother from her entry in Who's Who.
But I wanted more than this genre offers. I've been around the Dail long enough to appreciate the extraordinary physical presence of Maire Geoghegan-Quinn. She can cause people to gasp by just walking into a room. I've watched, unimpressed, when she brought the Legalisation of Homosexuality Bill through the House without batting an eyelid and I watched, depressed, when with tears in her eyes she spoke unconvincingly on the Brendan Smyth affair. For me the woman is a lot more interesting and more complex than the novel.
At one point in the book she writes about a character who, "Because she is so bright and because she is so personable, she will always get elected. But she'll never top the poll. Within the party, they will be proud of her and each one of the men will fancy he has a special relationship with her that could be brought to a warm reckless bedding, but when it comes to electing a leader, their practical self-interest will push them towards someone safer, less volatile, more diplomatic, more political."
I don't know if this description of a female TD has any relevance, other than as colour in a novel to be read on the plane to Tokyo or the bus to Tralee on a Friday evening. But I'd be interested in finding out some time.
While this is not a work of literature, it is a good, light read. Maire Geoghegan Quinn has succeeded on both counts. But, for the real story, we'll have to wait to read her diaries.