The Madigan family centers its activities around Rosaleen, the mother. At the beginning of the novel, she takes to her bed, assuming the horizontal, after she learns her favorite son Dan is planning to become a priest. The family has to run itself around her until youngest daughter Hanna, the narrator of this chapter, returns from a visit to her brother with information that gets Rosaleen out of bed and on the attack.
In that chapter we learn of the tangled history of the village. The Considines, Rosalee’s family, always looked down on the Madigans, Rosaleen mocks other families for their pretentions, but it’s true that she married below her, and the Madigans have never made very much money. But Rosaleen doesn’t care about money. She would like her husband to fix a few things around the house, but he generally doesn’t.
The next chapter picks up eleven years later in 1991 New York City. This chapter is narrated by Greg Savalas, a gay man deeply in love with a man named Billy. Dan Madigan comes on the scene, and although he is not out, he begins an affair with Billy. This is the time when men are dying of AIDS, and Billy is suddenly stricken. Dan is not helpful.
Eleven years later we encounter oldest son Emmett, who is an aid worker in Mali. This chapter details his insufficiencies in his relationship with his girlfriend Alice.
The Madigans all seem to reserve themselves from deep attachments. The second half of the novel is set in 2005, when they all gather together for Christmas for the first time in years because Rosaleen decides to sell the house. It’s clear that everything is still revolving around her. We get more insight into Constance, the oldest daughter, who has her own family but is the only one left in the area to meet Rosaleen’s demands. Finally, there is Hanna, an actress who is not coping well with motherhood.
I always feel that Enright’s characters are absolutely believable and her families fraught with realistic complications. Her descriptions, too, of the Western Ireland scenery are gorgeous.
whatmeread 
This is my favourite book I’ve read by Enright so far.
I’ve only read two. I guess I need to look for more.
For some reason, I thought Anne Enright was American – I must be confusing her with someone else.
Maybe Ann Patchett or Ann Packer. I used to get them mixed up, but Ann Patchett has much surpassed Packer. Then there’s Anne Tyler.
Ah, yes, I think it’s Anne Tyler I’ve confused her with – they write similar kinds of books, don’t they? (I’m basing that on blurbs and reviews – I haven’t read either of them!)
Tyler is still writing, but she’s been writing since the 70s. Patchett is a little younger. I don’t know if I would call it the same kind of books. Tyler tends to write about the same dynamics over and over (dysfunctional couples—scatty wives and withdrawn husbands) although some of her books are really good. Patchett writes about different things all the time and she is getting to be excellent. I would especially recommend her last two, The Dutch House and Tom Lake. Both of them were on my Best Ten of the Year list in different years.
As you know Tom Lake is coming up on my TBR, partly due to your enthusiasm. I’m still not sure it’s my kind of thing, but I’m hoping she’ll prove me wrong!
I hope you like it. I didn’t really think of it as women’s fiction. Tell me if you think it is.