Stations by Louise Kennedy review
This tale of broken hearts and broken people moves from the Troubles of 70s Northern Ireland to an unforgiving London of squats and payphones
TL;DR
- Stations is Louise Kennedy's second novel, following her debut Trespasses.
- The novel centers on the relationship between Róisín and Red over 25 years, beginning in 1982.
- It is set in a grim and brutal 1980s London, depicting the struggles of the Irish diaspora.
- Themes include displacement, fractured families, poverty, violence, addiction, shame, and loss.
- The narrative structure is akin to a sporadically kept diary.
- The novel is described as a love story and an elegy for lost Irish individuals.
- It touches upon themes of faith and redemption, drawing parallels with the Stations of the Cross.
- Kennedy's writing is praised for its precision in evoking the 1980s city and its profound humanity in character portrayal.