Our book group choice for February 2016 is Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín. Hauntingly beautiful and heartbreaking, Tóibín’s sixth novel, Brooklyn, is set in Brooklyn and Ireland in the early 1950s, when one young woman crosses the ocean to make a new life for herself.
Eilis Lacey has come of age in small-town Ireland in the hard years following World War Two. When an Irish priest from Brooklyn offers to sponsor Eilis in America — to live and work in a Brooklyn neighborhood “just like Ireland” — she decides she must go, leaving her fragile mother and her charismatic sister behind.
Eilis finds work in a department store on Fulton Street, and when she least expects it, finds love. Tony, who loves the Dodgers and his big Italian family, slowly wins her over with patient charm. But just as Eilis begins to fall in love with Tony, devastating news from Ireland threatens the promise of her future.
Discussion Questions for Brooklyn
- Did the pace move too slowly to maintain your interest? Or were you absorbed in the mundane details of everyday life?
- The book seemed to be front-loaded, packed with detail on ordinary events at the beginning and a speeding up towards the end. Did you find this sudden change of pace annoying or was it somehow appropriate?
- Eilish doesn’t seem to have much input into the decision to move to Brooklyn. Rose and Father Flood set everything up for her, with her mother’s tacit agreement. Why doesn’t she offer up any protest or show any freewill? Or is it a realistic portrayal of a young woman’s expectations of control over her own life in the 1950s?
- Father Flood seemed to have a huge impact on the future course of Eilish’s life. He seems to decide to use his influence to offer Eilish a new life in Brooklyn. Why do you think he chose to help Eilish, since he didn’t know her or her family well?
- Once in Brooklyn, Father Flood acts as her mentor, shoulder to lean on and moral compass. Would it be possible for a similar character to wield so much influence today?
- Mrs Kehoe might be assumed to be a surrogate mother figure to her tenants. But does she really see it as her job to enforce moral values on her tenants?
- Why is it that everyone takes such a shine to Rose? For example, Father Flood, Mrs Kehoe and Tony seem to think Eilish is special. Does this feel plausible?
- Much of Eilish’s life is spent ‘going with the flow’ and allowing others to make her decisions. As the book progresses she gets opportunities to make her own way if she so chooses. How do you think she copes with that? Does she even use these opportunities?
- Irish family life versus Italian family life. Compare and Contrast! Did this portrayal feel overly stereotypical? Immigrant communities seem to be segregated – is this perhaps by choice?
- Was Eilish’s marriage to Tony another example of her passivity or did she genuinely want to get married? Does it seem odd that she chose to keep it secret?
- The Lacey family don’t seem to be able to communicate openly with one another. Eilish’s doesn’t tell anyone except Rose about her relationship with Tony, Rose doesn’t tell anyone about the state of her health. Why are they so careful about what they reveal to one another? Do you think the family has always operated on this basis?
- Are Tony’s family portrayed as happier because they do talk to one another – or are they just repressed in a different way?
- Why doesn’t Eilish’s mother ask her about Brooklyn when she returns home? Just another example of their lack of communication or was she being manipulative? Were some of actions selfish and controlling or just consistent with the traditions at that time?
- We see a Rose’s actions in a different light once we understand that she knows she has some health issues. Going back to the secrecy issue, would it have been kinder to share this news with her family?
- Eilish spends most of the book studying bookkeeping. It is implied later in the book that she would be expected to give this up once she settles down to married life, either in Brooklyn or Enniscorthy. Do you think this would be frustrating for her?
- Returning home perceptions of Eilish have changed. It seems that people find the new Eilish more appealing – employers, Jim, her friends. Externally she is described as better dressed and better groomed. But has she changed as a person?
- Jim is a bit of a snob towards Eilish and Nancy at their first encounter at the Athenaeum but treats Eilish differently on her return from Brooklyn. Do you believe his explanation of events on that first night at the Athenaeum?
- Small world – Nelly Kelly knows Mrs Kehoe. Should she have gone back to Brooklyn and would she have done so if not for Mrs Kelly’s intervention?
- Did you enjoy the writing style? Would it have been a better book if written in the first person and had some better explanation of the characters’ feelings and inner lives? Can you tell this book has been written by a man?
- Did you warm to Eilish as a character and would you want her to be your friend?
Individual Ratings
DKB's Rating 
