just finished it and it will take a while for me to unpack and process it all (it was all so beautifully and densely layered!) but two things in particular are sticking out to me:
firstly: imelda </3. the passages especially towards the end with frank’s plastic, and rose.
secondly: the ending
my first instinct upon reading the last line i was incredulity and indignation. i’m no stranger to ambiguous endings nor am i opposed them in principle, but in that moment, it was a story that felt it needed a certain ending. then i stopped, and put my ‘student of english lit’ hat on, and thought why – why would the author deny us this?
i read through reviews, through forums online of other people asking “what happened in the end” and now i believe this: that yes, while all the signs are pointing to the annihilation of this family, their ending hasn’t been written yet. like the references to climate change that are threaded through the novel, yes they are on a sinking ship, but it hasnt sunk yet. imelda says it herself in her last line: “It’s not too late We can start again”. there is still time
i now feel my first reaction and disappointment with the book’s ending was wrong, and im so glad it was. just an incredible book
would love to hear other people’s thoughts
by dr_prior