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Shop nowThe Light of Evening
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Learn moreFrom her hospital bed in Dublin, the elderly Dilly awaits the visit of her daughter, Eleanora, from London. The epochs of her life pass before her; she also retraces Eleanora's precipitate marriage to a foreigner, which alienated mother and daughter, and Dilly's heart rending letters sent over the years in a determination to reclaim her daughter. But Eleanora's visit does not prove to be the glad reunion Dilly prayed for. And in her hasty departure, Eleanora leaves behind a secret journal of their stormy relationship—a revelation that brings the novel to a shocking close.
Edna O’Brien is the multiaward–winning author of numerous books., including the Country Girls trilogy. She won the 2019 David Cohen Prize for lifetime achievement in literature and the 2018 PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature. She is the recipient of the James Joyce Ulysses Medal and an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Dearbhla Molloy is an actress and narrator and was nominated for Broadway’s 1992 Tony Award as Best Actress for Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa. On television she has appeared in Foyle’s War, Waking the Dead, Midsomer Murders, Holby City, and New Tricks.
Reviews
“A book supple with mature power and feeling, where a delicate everyday, even humorous love between mother and daughter is revealed as the grandest of passions.”
“Lush with portent, alive with Irish lore and sprinkled with autobiographical elements.”
“Graceful, bittersweet new novel about the ache of maternal love…one of Ireland’s finest novelists…She manages to touch on life’s most complex and painful issues in ways that are both deft and tender.”
“O’Brien meditates with haunting lyricism on the lure of home and the compulsion to leave…The award-winning [author] evokes the cruelty of estrangement while allowing her characters to remain sympathetic and giving them real voice.”
“O’Brien’s poetic language is delightful…Molloy’s narration is a welcome aid. The heavy brogue she falls into whenever she’s speaking in the mother or grandmother’s voice provides clear character differentiation for the listener.”
“Speaking specifically to mother-daughter relationships, this poignant novel also explores the larger issue of the Irish American consciousness: why Irishmen and Irishwomen came to America, what they did here, and why many returned home.”
“A novel of powerful, complicated emotions and rapturous writing.”
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