Popular Fiction: There is a surefire bestseller here - but hopefully its author is only temporarily deviating from her usual course.
In Italy, a discussion on Irish literature will often throw up the name Catherine Dunne or "Catherina Dunna", as it tends to be pronounced there. Since her first novel In the Beginning (Vintage, 1998) was shortlisted for the Bancarella, Italians have held her work in high regard and even a small country bookshop is likely to stock her books.
I had read only two of her previous works. Another Kind of Life, (Picador, 2003) is a beautifully written period-piece and I was even more impressed by the non-fiction An Unconsidered People (New Island, 2003), a heartbreaking account of a lost generation of Irish people who emigrated to Britain during the 1950s. All of this led me to believe that her latest work and fifth novel, Something Like Love (Macmillan) which is also a sequel to the aforementioned In the Beginning, would be a literary read.
Before I even opened the book the cover told me otherwise. From the startling colours to the blurb we are told this is popular fiction. Then there's the banner on the back declaring in cerise pink lettering, "If you love Maeve Binchy don't miss Something Like Love". It must be left to readers of Maeve Binchy to decide if this is a fair comparison; but one thing of which I am sure, it will not be an unprofitable one.
So to the story: Rose Hanlon is a good mother - it's as simple as that. She puts the welfare of her children above all else, never really loses the rag with them, and would "fight like a lioness" to protect them.
She also runs her own successful business, and is more or less liked, if not loved, by all who know her. Even her solicitor and accountant think the world of Rose. All this despite the fact that her husband deserted her eight years ago, leaving her with a stack of bills, three children and no income. It could of course be argued that she has since made a success of her life, precisely because the husband left her.
When out of the blue he returns with little more than avarice on his mind, Rose is once again left to shoulder it all. She must break the news to the kids, (two young men and one teenage girl), which she does admirably and without once bad-mouthing the ex. At the same time she has to hang onto all she has worked for in the past eight years, including the house. A tough time ahead, so. However, Rose will not be on her own - after all, everybody is fighting her corner. And it's all just a little too easy.
The break-up of a marriage is rarely anything other than a dirty business, particularly when there are children involved. The most reasonable of people can be driven to the brink. Add to this a father who returns after a long, silent absence and the fall-out has to be horrific. From the writer's point of view, a firm and objective hand is essential, and Dunne's strength as a writer has always been an ability to stand back and allow her characters, real or imagined, to speak for themselves. In this case I feel she may have stepped back too far.
Now and then the darker aspects are approached; the worry of the elder son's drinking or the temporary withdrawal of the second son. But it's all resolved swiftly and no real harm is done in the end. In fact everything turns out fine and not only does Rose manage a dignified revenge, she also finds love. As we never really get to know the husband, we don't have to concern ourselves too much with him. In short, what we are given is a romanticised version of a decidedly unromantic situation.
In Something Like Love, it's clear that Catherine Dunne has decided to deviate from her usual course and good luck to her. I have no doubt it will fly up the bestseller list this summer. But fans of Dunne's earlier work will just have to hope this is only a temporary deviation.
Christine Dwyer Hickey's novel, Tatty, will be published by Vintage in the UK in July. New Island reissue her novel The Gambler next monthPopular Fiction
Something Like Love By Catherine Dunne Macmillan, 311pp. £10.99