When she heard that her first novel,
Eggshells, had won the prestigious
2018 Rooney Prize, bestowed by Ireland's Trinity College, she might be forgiven her initial shock -- since, at that very moment, she was still employed by that same Trinity College -- as a janitor.
She was also a graduate of the college, and like many in her situation, needed a "day job" to pay the bills while she labored on her book. At the time she won the Rooney prize, she'd moved on to her second novel, but was beginning to despair of ever having a literary career. For, it must be admitted, it's no easy path becoming a writer -- if by "writer" you mean being able to earn a living at it. As of this writing, she still works at Trinity.
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| Central Dublin (click to enlarge) |
The story of
Eggshells is a strange one -- in some ways paralleling the
Palm-Wine Drinkard. Where the drinkard explored "bushes," the narrator of
Eggshells explores Dublin, not in the usual way of someone needing to get to work or run errands, but with a kind of deliberate randomness, designed to eventually cover the city mile by crooked mile. She's fortunate in that she has a home and money, but otherwise is quite alone in the world, at least until "Penelope" answers her advertisement for a friend. She, like the Drinkard, also has extraordinary powers, and is able to read the tea leaves of city streets and sights as well as any fortune teller. And yet, at the same time, she seems not to have a very good grasp of how to behave in a conventional manner -- perhaps just what one would expect were one a
changeling, a child from the fairy land of
Tir naNóg substituted in the cradle for a human infant. But how to get "back"?
I've provided a map of central Dublin that you can refer to as you read of her peregrinations; you should also feel very free to Google any unfamiliar landmarks or features that you hear about. I've often wondered whether, in reading this novel, it's better to know Dublin a bit -- but I think that, either way, the landscape here is not so much the "dear dirty Dublin" of everyday reality, but more like one of the Drinkard's "bushes" -- a jigsaw puzzle of fantastical pieces, a canvas for the imagination, a great wandering -- one in which the imagination is needed even if reality is at hand. So read -- and choose an episode, a sight, a moment that stirred your imagination -- and post about it below:
After reading the first half of the book, I felt as if Penelope would break the narrator out of her shell. We can see that she is very reserved and seems to think a lot during social experiences and with the way Penelope seems to be a bit more open, I was waiting to see a change in the narrator's actions. Also, the similarities between this book and The Palm-Wine Drinkard are noticeable as it feels like the story is taking place in a new area often like we read in the other book.
ReplyDeleteI've only read up to chapter six so far, however I find the narrator to be a very odd person. I think she might have some sort of social anxiety or some delayed maturity. I feel this way because the way the she talks and acts in the book is very different to how an adult women is supposed to act. I find it very uncanny when she would talk about hygiene and she preferred to leave a stench rather than keep herself clean. She also seems to do this with the house, she enjoys the old smell of it, maybe it has to do with the recent death of her aunt but I find it very intriguing. I could understand maybe wanting to keep some of your aunts things because she passed, but I would want to clean up the house first thing. I'm also curious as to why she got the house over her older sister, maybe its because her sister already has a house and kids, but she just seems very immature for her age. I found the first half of the book to be somewhat interesting, but also very disturbed simply due to her mindset. I was also appalled when she made up a lie about twin boys in wheelchairs that she left at home, there has to be something going on mentally because nobody in their right mind would make themselves look like that in public. I'm interested to see where this story is going to go and how it's going to progress.
ReplyDeleteAlexis Manning.
I think we sometimes are too quick to judge whether someone we see is in their "right mind." So much of our behavior is a matter of social conventions, and there have been plenty of people over time who were quite good at performing the "normal" but were far more disturbed than our narrator here. To riff on a well-known quote from Henry David Thoreau, "“If a woman does not keep pace with her companions, perhaps it is because she hears a different drummer. Let her step to the music which she hears, however measured or far away."
DeleteI quite enjoy the main character and her quirky characteristics. Like for example; when she feels as though she needs more blue, then gold, in her day, so she goes to buy blue foods and a goldfish. Or when Vivian takes a bunch of lemons with her to Lemon street in the hopes of attracting otherworldly creatures then goes to the Natural History museum to write down the most interesting creature names. Her character is very playful. It brings a sense of the childhood thought process and wonder that comes with being young. but at the same time I feel bad for the narrator, I feel that she does need a friend to talk to, her family won't entertain her, she can't find a job, Penelope is on and off, and for some reason the social worker left because she was weirded out by Vivian's behavior?(Which I find odd). Overall, I'm excited to finish the story and to see how this book ends.
ReplyDeleteA great response, Ema! And yes, the narrator's daily quests of self-fashioning are both playful and serious. And yes, Penelope is "on and off" -- she doesn't really "get" her but at times they do seem to make a weird sort of connection.
DeleteI also enjoyed the main character and her quirky characteristics. Her quests were very playful and full of wonders. I agree that it brings a sense of the childhood thought process and wonder that comes with being young. I am happy that she at least had Penelope who was on and off but at least they had some sort of weird connection as the professor said. This makes me happy because she was not all by herself.
Delete-Victor H Valenzuela
When I began reading the first half or maybe a little less of the book I was just very intrigued as to where it was going to go and when it would figuratively begin. Vivian is portrayed as such a odd but loving character and it is so interesting to see the 2 be in one person written on paper. It is so cool to read the way she views life and how she thinks differently. I loved how clever she could be and how she noticed things that I probably wouldn't pay attention to because of seeing it in her perspective. It was funny to see that Penelope could really be too much for Vivian sometimes too. I really enjoyed this book it was a very bright story.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the first half i feel so bad for Vivian because she wants to find a friends so bad, but with so many characteristics. I identify with Vivian more and more as i read along, she enjoys to be alone and is selective with her friends. I cannot wait to finish reading Eggshells to see if we relate more as the story gets deeper. I'm enjoying reading Eggshells especially because it is easy to visualize while you are reading it, very engaging book, can't wait to read how it all ends.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started reading Egg Shells It was captivating and, right now I'm about halfway done with the book. The word choices that the author uses and Imagery, makes the book so much more interesting. And it allows me to visualize what's happening in the book. For example. In the beginning of the book, in chapter three, I believe, She used the saying, “we should be allowed to choose when to use lower and uppercase letters having to use a capital letter at the start of a sentence is like saying the first-born son gets all the money no matter how vile he is”. I also really liked just how quirky and different this story was written. But I do have a question and wondering. Around what time this story is being taken place in?
ReplyDeleteA good question, Gianna. The novel is set more or less in the present, though of course parts of Dublin are ancient indeed. The older parts of Dublin are a good bit older than any American city; Christ Church Cathedral, among others, is nearly 1,000 years old. But, just as in our cities here, the age of various streets and buildings varies quite a bit, and behind them lie the still older traditions of Irish history and beliefs, which are far older than Christianity.
DeleteI enjoyed what I’ve read so far, I liked how it was mystical and magical. I thought it was interesting how she was constantly looking for patterns. Everywhere she went she was looking around and writing them down, like Vivian wrote down certain words from books, or when she goes to the airport to find a pattern in the departure board listings.
ReplyDeleteI find this book very interesting. As you I read, I found myself walking the line of if the main character just a young quirky individual or being delusion. However, coming from the education department I also couldn't help but analyze her as well. Sometimes actions like this could be a call out to help or possibly a way to escape some other real aspect of her life. Knowing me I am just reading too much into it as my Ed. Psych class is right after this one. It almost gave me vague reminiscence of the book/movie The Bridge to Terabithia. Using this adventure to escape the real world or solve real world problems. I tended to analyze the character more than anything wondering how she was raised, her motives and what deeper drive she has more than just awanting to find the portal. Why is finding the portal so important, what makes her believe she is a changeling and why is it necessary to go back "home". While writing this response I am trying to recall how old she was or if her age was mentioned (I can't find it at this moment in time) but does her age also affect why she set out on this journey or has she just lost touch with what's around her? Besides me going Psych crazy and trying to read into everything I did enjoy the book. It is a whimsical take on fantasy set in a real-world location. Her views on the world and how she interacts with it is a great read. The way she reads into the signs, missing letters and more really leads you to believe that she is in fact on the right trail to finding her way.
ReplyDeleteI like how weird and quirky Vivian is, the way she worded things made me laugh at times. I liked the part where she wrote on her poster “must enjoy talking because I don’t have much to say.” As a very quiet person I can relate to that. Also, the way she thinks about things is very different. I wouldn’t comprehend certain things the way Vivian does; she sees it from a completely different view. I do think Vivian takes being “weird” or “different” to an unhealthy level when she says she doesn’t wash because she wants to grow into her smell. I'm intrigued to read the rest of the story to see how her friendship with Penelope progresses and where her journey through Dublin takes her.
ReplyDeleteThis book is very interesting and fluid to me. Vivian has a very distinct personality unlike a main book character I have read before. I think stories like this are very interesting to read because they always seem to just keep going -- there is not much of a lull in action or a part that gets boring because Vivian is always exploring as well as taking note of the most random things that I don't believe the average person would notice. I also think it is very interesting how her commentary is very quirky and almost exciting, the way she pays such attention to random detail and always acts curiously, but deep down when she is alone you can tell that she is a suffering individual. She acts happy and lively to travel the city and encounter new places and experiences and even find new friends, but at home she refuses to clean or bathe or take care of herself in very simple ways.
ReplyDeleteSo far from what I have read from eggshells I can determine that the character is urgently looking for friends and trying to make it to other worlds. She has an-imagination which is cool to envision when reading the book really adds a different style then what I am used to. The book is good so far I think as I get farther in more of my questions will be answered.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this book, I found Lally’s writing a bit interesting. It is another book that is quite different from others I have read, it’s unique with her choice of words and sentence structure. Vivian is an odd character as she does quirky things. But on the other hand it is interesting to see her so content being lonely and still has things to do every day as she is finding this world she “belongs to.” I find myself to be more introverted so I can relate to needing that alone time but then I get bored and need to be with people, mostly my large family and few very close friends.
ReplyDeleteTiffany Bouley
I really enjoyed reading this book! It was very interesting to see how many different sort of quests the main character goes through. I love all the details of the trips taken. One part that was very interesting for me was how Vivian had to know the timing of her neighbors so that she did not find them whenever she wanted to go out of her house. Her neighbors were very nosy and they acted as if she did not fit within the community. There is a perfect example on page 13 that says “ I leave the house and I forget to check for the neighbors, and Bernie sticks her head around the front door as I pass her house. “What’s that you’ve got there?” says Bernie. “Just a poster” says Vivian. “Show me”, demands Bernie and grabs it out of her hands. This is a perfect example of how nosy and rude her neighbors were. I believe that everyone should be able to have their own privacy and live their lives however they want as long as they are not hurting anyone else. Sometimes we are seen in these situations with our neighbor, which is an unfortunate situation. But as long as we know how to handle these situations we are good!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this book very much and what stands out most to me is the way the author expresses Vivians inner monologue. I don't think that I have ever read a book with a character that had such a quirky train of thought. An example of this that I found comical was the idea of putting out a want ad for a friend named Penelope. It is one thing to have that idea but to actually do it was a bit silly and I think it shaped Vivian and gave us an idea of who she is early on into the book. I also really enjoyed the authors use of descriptive language, one example that stands out to me is her use of "baggy" to describe her voice. (Unfortunately I did not mark the page where I read that)
ReplyDeleteThis book is very interesting because she had a deep and wild imagination. She clearly likes to explore and adventure from what I endured from her energy. It seems like one day, she wants to reach out to a lot of places in the world.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure how I feel about this book, it is kind of confusing to read and I am not sure where it is leading but I am interested in how the rest of it will turn out. You can tell Vivian is different and has a bizarre personality.
ReplyDeleteFor example, Vivian searches for a friend named Penelope so she can rhyme her name. Her thoughts are weird.
DeleteThis book was very interesting and I felt like I could relate. I love how the author came upon the idea of writing this book. You can tell how genuine, wild, and creative this girl is. She and adventurer and explorer and I am the same way. Some parts of her thinking with like language had me confused, but was still a good laid back book to read.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading Eggshells quite a bit! As I continued to read through the pages and chapters of this book, I got to see what an adventurous, silly, extroverted person Vivian was. I definitely thought Lally's style of writing was quite different from other authors I've read from. I also find it interesting how someone could be so comfortable with being alone and come up with such interesting quests to keep herself occupied. I felt I could learn a thing or two from Vivian and her imagination.
ReplyDeleteWhat I got from reading this book in sections was that the main character was someone that was limited with social skills and I felt that she struggled to fit into a normal society. She was more comfortable in her own mind and her vivid imagination than with interactions with real people. She reminds me of someone with that is dealing with some kind of OCD/Spectrum issue where things that made sense to her would not be understood by others around her. She definitely lived in a world onto herself. I'm going to to get to the end to see if I can make more sense of what the author is trying to relay.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Aldana
ReplyDeleteI dont really know how i feel about this story. I do like how the author gave us insight on the inner monologue. I dont know how I feel about Vivians personality some people use the phrase, golden retriever personality when describing someone that has a lot of energy and i think she could fall into that category. I think out of all of the material we have read so far this was at the bottom of list, I just dont know how i feel about it.