Book club: 'Away' by Jane Urquhart

Every month or so, a group of us get together for book club. In February, the book up for discussion was Jane Urquhart's Away, one of this year's Canada Reads nominations.

The back cover summarizes the book as follows:

A stunning, evocative novel set in Ireland and Canada, Away traces a family’s complex and layered past. The narrative unfolds with shimmering clarity, and takes us from the harsh northern Irish coast in the 1840s to the quarantine stations at Grosse Isle and the barely hospitable land of the Canadian Shield; from the flourishing town of Port Hope to the flooded streets of Montreal; from Ottawa at the time of Confederation to a large-windowed house at the edge of a Great Lake during the present day. Graceful and moving, Away unites the personal and the political as it explores the most private, often darkest corners of our emotions where the things that root us to ourselves endure. Powerful, intricate, lyrical, Away is an unforgettable novel.

The good:

• Beautiful prose. The writing really is "powerful, intricate, lyrical." Every sentence is crafted with care, so much so that you could spend ages reading and re-reading each one.
• Interesting historical elements, including famine in Ireland and daily life for early settlers to Canada.

The not-so-good:

• Beautiful prose. Yes, this is also in the "good" category. Sometimes the pretty language was so pretty that it ended up getting the way, distracting from rather than complementing the narrative.
• Unbelievable/unlikable characters. The characters who go "away" are difficult to identify with and, for me, were at times downright irritating.

Other observations: 

• My MIL shared some Irish folklore she had heard growing up that shed much light on the concept of being "away," as well as the lure of the sea. Very helpful! In my opinion, the novel would have been more accessible for readers had a myth or two been included at the beginning of the book, setting the stage for Urquhart's retelling.

Final verdict: 

• So-so. I certainly don't regret reading the book, but I wouldn't purchase a copy or necessarily recommend it to a friend. 

Next up: Left Neglected by Lisa Genova