The Hungry Road
Set in the 19th century, this novel follows the Great Irish Famine and tells the stories of the lives of those who were affected, from real Irish heroes to the poor who could no longer pay their rent. The tale follows several points of view: for example, Dr Donovan and his wife, Father Fitzpatrick, and also the Sullivan family, who are in the thick of the famine. You can feel the despair when the first crop of potatoes is taken by the disease and understand the uncertainty that follows each year and the inevitable resignation. You are with the townspeople of Skibbereen in their struggle to work and how they are exploited to work in unimaginable conditions. While the men are trying to pay the rent, the women are struggling to keep their families alive.
This book is not for the faint-hearted. People give up trying to live and are also taken by illnesses such as dysentery. It is intriguing to see how the author uses the feelings that we have been experiencing in our current times and transfers them to the 19th century, where there were efforts made to stop diseases caused by the famine. There is also hope in this novel of a better life, but at a cost. Marita Conlon-McKenna has successfully tackled such a painful period in history which speaks to our own lives today.
