Trespasses by Louise Kennedy: Book Review

[@readandre-read]

I started reading this last night - can't comment since it's for BookTube Prize judging but I've enjoyed your review, thanks!

[@BookishTexan]

Thank you. I hope that you like it.

[@nealsteplaws]

Great review! I liked it, too. It's interesting seeing several reviewers call the affair between Cushla + Michael creepy and gross or immediately dismiss the book as distasteful because Michael is older, but I found Michael to be the safest person in Cushla's life, even though he had obvious flaws. It's easy to say that it's gross if you've never had to live through the crap Cushla lives through. When you're that miserable and someone shows you kindness and treats you better and protects you, and is a looker to boot, it makes sense that Cushla would want to pursue that relationship. As a small town gay man in a conservative area who, by default, keeps my relationships private, I found it interesting to see a straight couple hide their relationship in a similar way, and that discovery would be destructive to Cushla's standing in her community. Relatable!

[@BookishTexan]

Excellent points! I have to say that while I understood why Cushla would be attracted to Michael I’m not sure that she or we as readers were sure about his character until the end. And early in their relationship I found some of the things he said surrounding sex to be off putting I felt that Cushla did too. I felt like what we didn’t realize about Michael until the end was that his feelings for her were real and grew deeper eventhough I suspect he started off their relationship just looking for sex. Thank you for the great comment.

[@anenthusiasticreader]

This is such a great observation about putting ourselves in the shoes of the character before judging.

[@clarepotter7584]

Having just finished the book, Michael and Cushla's relationship isn't that creepy in terms of the time period it's set in. There have been an awful lot of British male TV personalities of the time (70s) who are now known to have used their fame to abuse young women/children. There is a mention of Jimmy Saville in the book which I suspect is supposed to contrast with Michael and indeed the teachers Gerry and Cushla.

[@emmavd]

Thank you, Brian!🌷I had tentatively put Trespasses on my birthday wishlist and now… it’s going to stay! Everything you said makes me want to read it. 😊 I don’t know much about daily life in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and this sounds like is a great opportunity to learn more about it.

[@BookishTexan]

I thought it did a great job of putting the reader in that world where the troubles were always in the background until the burst into peoples lives in a bigger way. If you haven’t read Milkman by Anna Burns it does this even better though it is less accessible than Trespasses.

[@emmavd]

@@BookishTexan Thanks, Brian!😊

[@jimsbooksreadingandstuff]

The slow building of tension and menace sounds intriguing.

[@BookishTexan]

It made the book a bit of a page turner for me.

[@barbarahelgaker390]

So glad you liked it. I also liked the way the book builds up the menace of the times. And the story of Davey and his family is also very interesting.

[@BookishTexan]

Davy’s family is a great part of the story and I think is meant to provide Cushla with a reminder of another real obstacle to a relationship with Michael.

[@KierTheScrivener]

Very interesting to hear your thoughts. It didn't work for me. I like all the themes but they were lessened by the distance I found in the characters. My Favourite scene was her buying catholic items on their illicit getaway. I thought of Trespasses primarily as sin and how she is trespassing morality and what is considered socially correct but also the tug between her and religion (how she loves it but also feels trapped or confined by the catholicism of the priest and state).

[@BookishTexan]

For me Cushla was enough in terms of characters, but I get what you mean about the others. Yes certainly Cushla’s affair with a married man is the primary trespass at the heart of the novel. Thanks for the great comment Kier.

[@BandysBooks]

Great review! I’ve been eyeing this one and maybe now I’ll have to give it a read. :) The title makes me think of the religious phrasing “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” My grandmother was Irish Catholic, so that got drilled into my head at a young age. I wonder if it might play into the book as it seems Cushla is trespassing with her affair while the world around her trespasses against her.

[@BookishTexan]

Great catch on the title! Someone else pointed that out to me and until then the connection to the Lord’s Prayer went right over my head. There are a lot of trespasses that coke in many varieties. I hope you like the book of you get a chance to read it.

[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

I am starting this soon but it is for the Book Tube Prize so I won't be able to talk about it. Hearing you talk about it is cheering.

[@BookishTexan]

I hope that you like it.

[@stephenbachleda2481]

I saw this at my local bookstore yesterday and thought I would look at some reviews. I will check this one out now. Thx.

[@BookishTexan]

I hope that you like it.

[@anenthusiasticreader]

Hi. When I was reading Trespasses, I didn't question why Cushla was attracted to Michael. For her, he had a predesignation as a safe person because he had been friendly with her parents, and he allows her to make the choice to be with him. He isn't leering, but he also doesn't hide that she is attractive to him. It's the one relationship she can keep to herself and is not (at least at first) scrutinized by her family and community. He also respects her intellect and invites her into a world of his friends that she would never have otherwise, even though it's not comfortable to her and it's clear that that group outside of Michael do not take her seriously. On top of everything, is there a father-figure element to this dynamic? Probably! I'm glad you liked the novel. I do still keep thinking about it. (I have no evidence to support this, but I imagine that Gerry did know he was gay but knew that he couldn't do anything about it in that repressive time; gay men often befriend women so they can go about their lives. It was clear early on that he knew there was nothing between them but a good friendship.) Sorry for the long comment.

[@BookishTexan]

Loved the comment. I understand the initial attraction but one of the things I found refreshing about their relationship is that as it goes along Michael becomes more serious while Cushla remains guarded. It’s Michael that declares his love and gives her a key. But it’s Cushla who makes the ultimate decision and demands complete honesty about their relationship before moving forward.

[@anenthusiasticreader]

@@BookishTexan What a great point. Maybe the escalating violence and the fear that came with it, along with knowing that he's the kind of man who will stray from his marriage, let her see the dangers of their relationship? Anyway, love the discussions and all the comments here give lots to think about.

[@1book1review]

I find myself not interested in most of the Women's Prize books, but love watching people's reviews :D

[@BookishTexan]

Yeah I'm kind of the same. I love watching other's people videos about prize books, but sometimes a description does make me want to read one of the books.

[@myreadinglife8816]

I appreciate this very thoughtful review. You got a lot more out of the book than I did.

[@BookishTexan]

Thanks Heidi. Out of curiosity what did you think of Cushla as a character?

[@myreadinglife8816]

@@BookishTexan I couldn’t understand why she made some of the choices she did. She seemed like someone who things happened to, without her taking charge of her life. I didn’t understand what she saw in the lover…. Your analysis makes sense but to me I didn’t feel it.

[@BookishTexan]

@@myreadinglife8816 Thank you. I was curious because it seems to me that opinion about the book breaks one way or the other around Cushla. I don’t think I got more out of it than you or anyone I think it has to do with how each reader sees Cushla and the decisions she made. I’ve been thinking about how characters affect my reading and maybe cloud my judgement about books. I have a tendency to become attached to characters and I wonder how many meh books I have rated highly because of that attachment.

[@myreadinglife8816]

@@BookishTexan That totally makes sense to me because it often happens to me as well. If I love a character the book is more successful for me. For whatever reason, Cushla and I didn’t connect.

[@ariannefowler455]

Great review. I still want to read it even thought I've seen mixed reviews. It's one I was interested in from the beginning because it hits on so many things I'm drawn to. I think I would have found my way to it eventually had it not been on the Women's prize list. I can't wait to read it.

[@BookishTexan]

As you can tell I thought it was very good. I think I had heard about it before the Women's Prize because when I looked for book covers to use in the video I found the British edition cover and remembered hearing about it back in the Fall (?) of last year. Thanks for watching and commenting. I hope you like Trespasses.

[@clarepotter7584]

That's the most positive review I've seen. It's interesting that I associate the word trespasses with the Lord's Prayer, (ironically in both the Catholic and Protestant versions - a Christian sect conflict) it's an outdated word which isn't used to everyday conversation, usually only on 'keep out' signs -'trespassers will be prosecuted.' Was it made clear whether the soldiers were aware that Michael was protestant? He would appear braver if they didn't. I only ask as British (in the main English soldiers) wouldn't be able to tell who's who, in terms of accents. I speak as someone who received a phone call from a fellow union rep and the person taking the call said, 'I've got your Irish friend on the phone.' to which he replied. "I heard that." - he was unimpressed as a Northern Irish Protestant, he did not consider himself Irish but British.

[@BookishTexan]

The Lords Prayer connection to the title went right over my head! Thanks for pointing it out. I think that the author clearly intended that connection but I completely missed it. I grew up in a fundamentalist Christian home and we didn’t say that prayer very often, but I should have made the connection any way. Your question about the bar is a good one. From what I could pick up from the book most of the regular patrons of the pub were Protestants. I think the soldiers/ police would have known that particularly since the local leader of one of the Protestant paramilitary groups was a regular. Also, the pub was known as a safe one for soldiers because Cushla’s mom could call the base’s commanding officer to come get rowdy soldiers. Certainly it is Michael’s status as a known Protestant in the pub and the community that allows him to stand up for Cushla against the soldier. I didn’t mean to say/ imply that Michael was brave for doing so but willing to and able where as Cushla’s brother and Gerry were not able to because of what would happen. Thanks for the great comment.

[@clarepotter7584]

@@BookishTexan I have started reading the novel this weekend. I think it's very good so far, evocative of the time. The book's creating a reading list for me though, a reading occupational hazard ('The Black Prince'? - not sure, 'Betsy Gray' - more tempted, the Friel play, I'm already a fan of his though I'm unfamiliar with 'Philadelphia, Here I Come'

[@BookishTexan]

@@clarepotter7584 Weirdly I had forgotten all about all the books mentioned in Trespasses

[@clarepotter7584]

@@BookishTexan I think I've been treating it as an immersive experience, listening to Ottilie Patterson, I hadn't heard of her before and looking at the sculptures of Bettina Seitz.

[@a_bookish_gemini]

I haven’t read it yet (soon though!) but the way you’re describing their relationship sounds to me like she suffers from C-PTSD and people with C-PTSD are very often attracted to toxic and emotionally unavailable partners..

[@BookishTexan]

Her father’s death (natural causes mostly) was an event that clearly broke Cushla’s family in a profound way, so I think you are on to something.

[@bookofdust]

We are very much in sync about this book, and yes the title is a brilliant lief motif that crescendos throughout the book. For me it was very much about the checkpoints between Catholics and Protestants, be they physical, personal or psychological. Personally, I found Michael one of the most attractive males I’ve read in literature in years, almost tipping over into being too romanized. I never once questioned her attraction to him, he seems the type to charm everyone females and males and who if you grab their attention makes you feel very special as a friend or lover. Writing a truly charismatic character like that is hard, yet Irish literature seems to capture that quite well, the male protagonist in Normal People being a recent example. So far it’s in my top 3 of women’s prize titles I’ve read, and I’m 17:31 about 50% done with the long list. I started Fire Rush this week as well.

[@BookishTexan]

I could understand Cushla’s initial attraction to Michael, but there were some of the things he said and did when they were alone that even Cushla thought were off putting. By the end we realize when Cushla does that his feelings for her were true, but I wasn’t sure until the end. I’m glad to hear that you liked it. It has taken a bit of a bartering here on BookTube.

[@FrankOdonnell-ej3hd]

don't think I've heard of the writer is she a new or young author but from description almost drooling to know how it turns out but so glad what they call the Troubles is well on the way to being resolved or at least under control gives some hope for israel/palestine conflict

[@BookishTexan]

This is Kennedy's debut novel. The end of the "Troubles" does give me hope for the resolution of other somewhat similar conflicts.

[@CharlieBrookReads]

Great review of a great book. One of my faves from the list. Sidenote Gerry is gay. He is in a civil partnership at the end of the novel 😊

[@BookishTexan]

Thank you Charlie Yes, I forgot that bit. Though I’m not sure even Gerry is clear on that at the time he and Cushla go out.