In the Forest by Edna O'Brien (2002, 208 pages)

My Posts on Edna O'Brien

The Irish Independent has published twenty books in a series called "Irish Women Writers".  The very first book in the series is In the Forest by Edna O'Brien.  Edna O'Brien in works like Country Girls was one of the first Irish writers to deal with sexual themes in modern Ireland.  

In the Forest is based on three murders in 1994 in County Clare.  A man in his late teens murdered a woman, his sexual partner, and her young son on one occasion and shortly after that shot a priest.  In the Forest tells the story of how such an evil set of events came to pass.  The young man had live much of his life in state care with no one to really are about him.  He grew up in a brutal eniviorment with the basest of values but so do many who go on to normal lives.  In the Forest helps us to understand the genesis of these muderers.

Told in short chapters from multiple points of view, we see the killer's world.  He lived in a universe of prey and hunters.  The prose of O'Brien is exquiste.  This is a harsh world and she does not shield us from the darkest corners.  

Mel u