In 'Long Island,' one woman returns to Ireland after discovering her husband's affair

Summary

NPR's Book of the Day: "Long Island" by Colm Tóibín – Detailed Summary

Introduction

In the April 1, 2025 episode of NPR's Book of the Day, host Mary Louise Kelly delves into Colm Tóibín's latest novel, Long Island. Building upon his acclaimed 2009 novel Brooklyn, Tóibín reunites listeners with protagonist Eilish Lacey, now navigating the complexities of middle age and marital turmoil. The episode offers an in-depth conversation between Mary Louise Kelly and Colm Tóibín, exploring the motivations behind returning to a beloved character, the thematic depths of the new narrative, and the nuanced portrayal of personal and cultural identity.

Plot Overview

Long Island picks up with Eilish Lacey, the resilient Irish immigrant who settled in America in Brooklyn. The sequel thrusts her into a profound personal crisis when a stranger arrives at her doorstep with shocking news: her husband Tony has had an affair resulting in a pregnancy. The stranger threatens to abandon the baby on Eilish's home, forcing her to confront the stability of her seemingly happy life.

Return to Eilish Lacey

Colm Tóibín reveals that the decision to revisit Eilish was spontaneous. Initially hesitant about writing a sequel, Tóibín was inspired a decade after Brooklyn to explore what Eilish's life had become. At [02:01], he shares:

"I didn't think I should do one. What happened was about 10 years after I wrote the original novel... and then, just without thinking, really, I set about seeing if I could write the first sequence, the second sequence."

This organic development emphasizes Tóibín's deep connection to Eilish, allowing her character to naturally evolve from a young immigrant to a middle-aged mother facing unforeseen challenges.

Themes and Character Analysis

Long Island delves into themes of identity, betrayal, and the immigrant experience. Eilish's return to her native town, Enniscorthy, serves as a catalyst for introspection and confrontation with her past. Tóibín masterfully portrays her internal struggle, balancing restraint and emotional depth. At [03:29], Mary Louise Kelly highlights Tóibín's signature writing style:

"Much of what happens between these characters goes unsaid. You leave us as readers to fill in what is really going through their minds."

Eilish's character remains self-contained and unselfconscious, embodying the quiet strength that has defined her journey. Her interactions in Enniscorthy reveal the tensions between her Americanized life and her Irish roots. For instance, Eilish's attempt to improve her mother's home with American appliances backfires, illustrating the cultural disconnect:

"She decides to buy all this white goods for her mother, who just is really insulted at the idea. ‘Have I been waiting all these years for you to come back so that I could have a fridge?’" ([06:48])

Author's Insights

Tóibín discusses his approach to crafting dramatic tension without resorting to overt confrontations. He prefers subtlety over melodrama, allowing Eilish's restrained demeanor to drive the narrative. At [04:43], he explains:

"I will have to find one other way... But it's a constant sense of making sure that you're not writing a sort of, I suppose, a soap opera."

This deliberate choice enhances the novel's realism, portraying genuine human emotions and reactions without exaggeration.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

1. Eilish's Identity in America:

   • "She doesn't think about herself. She's not self-conscious in that way." ([06:08])

2. Observing Eilish's Transformation:

   • "She did not look like a local woman... more than anything, it was the ease and confidence she had." ([07:15])

3. Cultural Illusions vs. Reality:

   • "It's a funny mixture of illusion and something that's real." ([07:57])

These quotes encapsulate Eilish's journey of self-discovery and the delicate balance between her Irish heritage and American life.

Conclusion

Long Island offers a poignant continuation of Eilish Lacey's story, exploring the repercussions of personal betrayal and the enduring quest for identity. Colm Tóibín's nuanced storytelling and deep character exploration provide readers with a richly layered narrative that resonates with themes of love, loss, and belonging. As the interview concludes, Tóibín hints at the possibility of future explorations, though he remains uncertain about extending the saga beyond Long Island.

For those who cherished Brooklyn, Tóibín's Long Island is a heartfelt and compelling follow-up that delves deeper into the complexities of Eilish Lacey's life, making it a must-read for fans and new readers alike.

Notable Moments from the Episode

• Eilish's Confrontation: The inciting incident where a stranger accuses Tony of infidelity ([01:10]).
• Author's Reluctance: Tóibín discusses his initial hesitation to write a sequel ([02:01]).
• Cultural Clashes: Eilish's attempt to modernize her mother's home highlights generational and cultural gaps ([06:48]).
• Character Perception: Jim's observation of Eilish's effortless confidence underscores her transformation ([07:15]).

Final Thoughts

Mary Louise Kelly expertly navigates the conversation, drawing out Tóibín's insights and allowing listeners to appreciate the depth of Long Island. The episode serves as both an introduction to the novel and a thoughtful exploration of its themes, making it an invaluable resource for anyone interested in contemporary literature and character-driven storytelling.

Transcript

[Andrew Lembong]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Lembong. I only just read Colin Tobin's great 2009 novel Brooklyn, about a woman leaving 1950s Ireland to come to the US. And in a lot of ways, that book ends at the most interesting part, right as protagonist Eilish Lacey commits to making America her permanent home. Thankfully, Tobin's now written a sequel titled Long Island. I think you can guess where Eilish moved to. In this interview with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly, Tobin talks about returning to Eilish, even if he doesn't really like SQLs. That's ahead.

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[Mary Louise Kelly]

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[Mary Louise Kelly]

Guaranteed Colm Tobin's latest novel opens with a heartbreaker of a dilemma. His main character, Eilish Lacey, opens her front door to a stranger who accuses Eilish's husband of having an affair with his wife, an affair that has resulted in a pregnancy. The stranger threatens to leave the baby once it's born on Eilish's doorstep. What would you do? The novel is titled Long island, and it follows what Eilish decides to do and not do when this bombshell turns her life upside down. Colm Tobin, welcome.

[Colm Tóibín]

Thank you.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

So alert listeners will recognize the name of your protagonist, Eilish Lacey, because she was at the center of Brooklyn, your celebrated novel that published back in 2009. Were you always planning to return to her?

[Colm Tóibín]

Never. I really never thought of it. I don't like sequels and I didn't think I should do one. What happened was about 10 years after I wrote the original novel Brooklyn, that image, that initial image that you've just mentioned came into my head and I thought, I know who that is and I know what I could do now. And then, just without thinking, really, I set about seeing if I could write the first sequence, the second sequence. And so the book began. But it wasn't deliberate, it wasn't strategic.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

But she'd obviously been somewhere in the back of your mind and had grown up from a young woman in her twenties to now a middle aged mother in her forties who has built a mostly happy life in America with her Italian American husband, Tony. Why throw her such a curveball? And we're giving nothing away. This is on page, the very first chapter of the book.

[Colm Tóibín]

I wouldn't have written the book without it. In other words, I wanted a moment of a pure terror for her of what was the worst thing that could happen at that moment, just to see then if I could dramatize that. Obviously, if after a few pages it didn't work, I would have dropped it. She's so self contained, so unselfconscious in so many ways. She's an outsider still in America, even after all the years that her domestic life is the life that matters to her. And so this became, for me, a subject, I suppose, of drama. And it's a drama I'm interested in.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Yeah. And I have learned from reading several of your books. This is typical of some of your fiction. But so much of what happens between these characters goes unsaid. You leave us as readers to fill in what is really going through their minds. There's just so much restraint, to the point where I sometimes wanted to shake Eilish and say, just yell at him, just let him have it.

[Colm Tóibín]

Yeah, she doesn't. She isn't like that. And I can get much more if she restrains herself, if she holds back with the reader watching her, the reader wondering, how can she manage this now? So in her efforts to let him know that she knows I have to find an image, rather than having her simply shout at him, which really, I won't get any drama from, you know, that will be an obvious thing to do. I will have to find one other way. And so I keep coming up with ones and then I reject them, eventually find one that I think might work. But it's a constant sense of making sure that you're not writing a sort of, I suppose, a soap opera or sometimes soap operas can be good. But, I mean, the obvious response would be yet to let a big shout at him as soon as she sees him. But if she doesn't do that, then I think you can get much more from that.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

So Eilish is. She grew up in Ireland. She's an immigrant to America. I don't think it gives too much away to share that. As she wrestles with what to do about what her husband has done, she finds herself back in Ireland, in the small town where she grew up in Ascorthy. Did I say that right?

[Colm Tóibín]

You did.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

I did. You would know because you also grew up in. In Scarthy. I did. She's wandering around, she discovers people and Things that have changed beyond recognition and plenty of things that haven't changed. And as I read, I found myself wondering if you were drawing on personal experience, you would know what it is to wander down memory lane in that specific town.

[Colm Tóibín]

Yes, I think I was that 1976, the year the novelist said, it's about the last year where I would have sort of lived in Enniscorthy and been, you know, what bars people went to, the names of shops, the names of shop owners. So I was using very much that year. But yes, also using that sense of returning to my mother's house and spending a night there and being in my old bedroom and yes, all of those experiences, I think I know, particularly know from that particular town, those particular streets.

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Hmm.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

And Eilish, as she is wandering that particular town, those particular streets, does she find herself a different person? Does she move through the world in a different way back in Ireland than she did in America?

[Colm Tóibín]

She doesn't think about herself. She's not self conscious in that way. But it's clear that she has developed a sort of style without knowing it, that she's extremely articulate. For example, you can see her intelligence working, but she misses the point of certain things that have happened at home. For example, she thinks her mother needs a new kitchen. And instead of asking her mother and that funny, any of us who have had this know it, the funny days of jet lag coming in from America where you get an idea and it's wrong and you follow it. And so she decides to buy all this white goods for her mother, who just is really insulted at the idea. Have I been waiting all these years for you to come back so that I could have a fridge?

[Mary Louise Kelly]

It made me laugh because it's a very American thing to do, to think my problems will be solved if I can just get some new kitchen appliances, let's get a new dishwasher and it'll be fine. I mean, plenty of your Irish characters do find ways to reveal their views of America. I wonder if you would read a few lines from the scene where Eilish's former lover Jim is watching her.

[Colm Tóibín]

If anyone were to meet them now, he thought they might be a local couple taking a walk. But when he stole a glance at her, he saw that this could not be true. She did not look like a local woman. Her dress could not have been bought in Ireland, and the natural way her hair was cut, accentuated by the wetness, set her apart, as did the smoothness of her skin. But more than anything, it was the ease and confidence she had.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Speak to that last line you just read about the ease and confidence she had that was visible. Apparently there are plenty of people who have self confidence in Ireland. Is that something that you were. I mean, I wonder why you wanted to put that out there.

[Colm Tóibín]

She doesn't know what she looks like when she has come back after all these years. She doesn't know that how she's being watched. She's being watched for the quality of her dress, but she's also being watched for something else, for a sort of way of walking and moving that may not even exist. But Nancy, her old friend, sees it immediately when she comes to the door. Someone foreign has come to my house. And of course Eilish is not aware at all that she's foreign in that way. So it's a funny mixture of illusion and something that's real.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

The ending leaves things not quite settled for Eilish and for other key characters. You've now revisited her in a sequel. Are you done?

[Colm Tóibín]

I don't know. I mean, it's 15 years since the novel Brooklyn appeared and I'm now 69. So I suppose maybe when I'm 84 and hobbling around I'll come up with some new idea. But I wouldn't bet on it.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

So. Trilogy. Watch the space TVD Colm Tobin's new novel is titled Long Island. Thank you.

[Colm Tóibín]

Thank you.

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