Title: Memoir
Author: John McGahern
Reading status: Finished
This memoir is a book that I love, and one which, therefore, I have decided to review first. The book is focused on McGahern’s childhood, marred by his beloved mother’s death and his father’s abusive nature. Despite this seemingly perfect opportunity to wallow in self pity or garner sympathy from his audience, McGahern effectively seizes the opportunity to do something else. He skilfully depicts the relationship between his mother and himself before her death, not desperately willing her back to life, but preserving both her joy and their love. He transcends the abusive nature of his father, not whitewashing over his own pain or on the other hand attacking his father, but showing an understanding and objectivity that must have been difficult to reach. Throughout the book is woven McGahern’s developing relationship with writing, culminating in his eventual realisation that through writing one can overcome the restrictions and suffering of life, preserving the joy. Part of his thought process during the moment and my favourite quote from the book is this:
Why take on any single life - a priest, a soldier, teacher, doctor, air-main - if a writer could create all these people far more vividly? In that one life of the mind, the writer could live many lives and all of life.
I greatly enjoyed this book. Well-constructed, thoughtful, slow and philosophical, it is unlike most current, popular memoirs. While its title could be considered tacky or self-righteous, I would defend McGahern. The name “Memoir” is apt, because this is, quite simply, what a memoir should be.
