It can be a purposeful project or a fanciful journey.
It is probably no accident, given the number of people involved, that the development of self-identity in Irish-Americans calls both fiction and non-fiction writers to explore its twists and turns.
Mary Costello moves into a novel that is concise (180 pages), understated, unsentimental and evocative.
She lays out the life of Tess Lohan from the 1940s in rural Ireland, to Academy St, New York, six decades later.
The first chapter, depicting 4-year-old Tess's reactions to her mother's death, wake and burial, sets the tone.
During her childhood Tess longs for close relationships but her life is dominated by family responsibilities.
She trains as a nurse in an attempt to develop her own identity.
In the '60s she moves to the US.
The political climate frees her from strict Irish conventions and gives her new ways to think and speak, but she is lonely.
A series of life events are described in spare and insightful language.
This is a novel worthy of careful reflection.
• Willie Campbell is a Dunedin educator.
