I feel so strongly about this wonderful debut by Anne Griffin that I am struggling not to simply jump to the 'Overall...' section and send you on your way to read it.
I am mad though. Mad that in When All is Said, Anne has written exactly the kind of book that I hope to write some day. Quiet. Reserved. Uniquely, simply structured, yet powerful enough to make your eyes wet several times throughout.
84-year-old Maurice Hannigan is sitting in a bar. Over the course of one short evening, he will raise five toasts - stout, whisky, stout, whisky, whisky - for the five people who have shaped his life most powerfully. Five people, five internal monologues, connected in telling his own story as well as those around him. And all linked by a single, rather valuable gold coin.
What did I like about it?
This simple set-up leads to liberated, free storytelling, the kind that reads like an adventure story - even though it is simply the life of an Irish farmer from a poor family, rising through the ranks, getting married, fathering a child and experiencing all the complications of life that come with it. This is where the book's power lies: making the simple into something beautiful. The returning motif of the gold coin, from the way he obtained it in the first place to what happens to it in the end, adds to this adventure-like feeling though, touching on the inexplicable and repetitive patterns of life and satisfyingly showing us that what goes around does often come around.
Maurice's voice is clear, consistent and free of melancholy or sentimentality. He recounts his life as his own worst judge, pointing out the times he wishes he'd done something differently or now recognizes that he had done wrong. Above everything else, he's great at pointing out small struggles that only an observant eye could spot, but things we all encounter from time to time: "Each time, I swear to myself that this time will be different, that I'll make the effort. That I'll ask about your job and what you're working on. And I promise myself I'll listen to you with my whole body and every ounce of concentration in me ... But as soon as you walk in the door sure it's like a bolt closes over my mouth."
Every character he paints a picture of - all those subject to a toast - comes across strong and interesting, and despite the short chapters, their relationship with Maurice and relevance to the story are crystal clear by the end of each section.
What was I not massively fond of?
Of course, there is always the risk of making a slightly mysterious sister in an asylum into a cliché. Anne doesn't let it slip for the most part. Maybe her 'sparkle, sparkle' "catchphrase" (with many quotation marks) has been done before, which could have been left off, but that might be personal preference.
Perhaps the only section I would have done differently is that of when the five toasts are finished. Maurice is staying at the hotel - at the honeymoon suite, no less - but before he heads up to the room, he takes a slightly wobbly dance outside, in the rain, which felt a little forced, perhaps. I'm not sure he strikes me as the type of person who dances.
Perhaps I would have cut it short, even - after all, the ending is implied throughout. I have a feeling you've guessed it even by reading this review. Perhaps I would have left him at the bar, leaving him to enjoy the final moments of his story alone, undisturbed.
Overall...
Some reviews, even the blurb, make Maurice seem almost mean. I don't see meanness though. I see a man looking back on his life, nursing regrets but also taking note of the beautiful things; a man who has struggled to express his emotions, but who was understood by those around him.
At only 264 pages, this book is short - which only adds to its value. It is carefully crafted, well-written, never over the top, never pouting or bragging. It's a quiet, beautiful experience that will lift you up (and as previously stated, might make you weep in public places).
When All is Said is a true gem.
9/10
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