The All Of It

The All of It

As Father Declan attends Kevin on his deathbed, Enda reveals that she and Kevin, who have been living as a married couple, are actually siblings, leaving the Irish priest with a problem in squaring Catholic doctrine with the scandalous situationFrom Library JournalWithin this brief, artfully woven novel are two stories. Kevin and Enda have escaped from their mad father and found refuge in a tiny Irish village, where they live as man and wife. Fifty years later, Kevin's death impels Enda to confess to Father Declan, a world-weary priest who finds his escape in salmon fishing. The moral commitment of the couple, and their devotion to freedom and the natural life, remain in the priest's mind as he struggles through the intricacies of netting a salmon. Haien, an American pianist, entirely captures both the essence of life in the rural west of Ireland and the many shadings of the conflict between official morality and the private compromises we must make to live out our lives. A compact, lyrical gem; one wishes it were longer. Highly recommended. Shelley Cox, Special Collections, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., CarbondaleCopyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.