Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way by Elaine Feeney
Elaine Feeney’s latest novel deals with the legacy of family secrets and the quiet devastations of grief. At its centre is Claire O’Connor, a woman caught in a riptide of the past and present. She is dealing with a lot: the death of her parents, the displacement of moving back to her rural homeplace, and a complicated, seemingly unfinished, romance.
As readers we bear witness to all the stories and events carried privately and painfully by the O’Connor family through the years. Domestic scenes - a Christmas dinner, a reunion with an ex, an unsettling fox hunt – give us access to the haunting memories that surface in carefully crafted moments of compassion, violence, and heartbreak.
With tender and aware characterisation, Feeney captures the nuances of contemporary modern life in contrast with a historical Ireland, throwing light on how gender, politics and class have shaped our everyday. Full of lyricism and dark humour, the novel offers a profound exploration of generational trauma and the slow work of healing.
