“The past can haunt someone else now, she thinks, and turns her hand back to this drawing of Daithi, back to the things in her new life which can be named.”
Saoirse (Celadon 2026) is Charleen Hurtubise’s US debut. A blend of domestic fiction and literary suspense thriller, the novel is told in shifting timelines, fragmented memories, and Saoirse’s art with Sarah/Saoirse trying to outrun a past that seems hellbent on tracking her down.
When Sarah Roy is a teenager, she steals the identity of an Irish nanny, Sarah/Sasa Walsh, and flees the United States. On her flight to Ireland, she meets Paul Byrne. After a childhood of being used and abused by her stepfather and folks he owed money, Paul seems a welcomed relief. But Sarah quickly learns that there are many different ways men can hurt and control.
She falls in love with Daithi, a friend of the family and Paul’s biggest rival in school, but their relationship is stunted by the situation with Paul and Sarah’s past. It is Daithi who names her Saoirse, and the name sticks. Sarah Roy becomes Sarah Gagneux (her stepfather’s name) becomes Sarah Walsh becomes Saoirse Byrne. Each name brings another lie, another hurt, another something to run from. Saoirse, meaning freedom, is the only thing that is truly her’s, and Daithi gave it to her.
As with any thriller, I don’t want to spoil this novel. Suffice it to say, Paul is not a good guy, and the past never stays buried for long. Paul’s sister, Vivienne, may be one of my most hated characters of the year.
The novel is an extremely quick read, coming in at 243 pages, and it is well-paced despite covering several years. The past being revealed through Saoirse’s art (the bottle of lavender, the chapstick, a bridge…) is pretty brilliant, calling to how we store memories and how we lock certain things away.
Definitely recommend this one.
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