Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

 I read this book long after watching Brooklyn the movie when it was released, and after reading The Testament of Mary, also by Colm Toibin, during Holy Week many years ago. The movie primed me to enjoy a story about an independent young woman and The Testament of Mary suggested Colm Toibin could be trusted with female characters. Both things are still true after reading Brooklyn. For a period of time in 2022-2023, I made a point to only read female authors because I wanted to enjoy female characters and this was one of the few exceptions to that parameter. 

Eilis balances her own ambitions for her life with the expectations her mother has for her, and while the implications of that tension are sometimes painful, they are also universal. I most loved the end scene-- there's a photo in the bottom of a suitcase and I was left thinking about the many different paths one life can take and the power that comes from choosing your future for yourself. 

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