The All of It
by Jeannette Haien
List Price: $11.00
Pages: 160
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 0060971479
Publisher: HarperCollins
The All of It is an exquisitely told story of sin and understanding.
As a frustrated Father Declan de Loughry fishes for salmon in inclement
Irish weather, he mulls over the events of the previous days. Four days
ago, while performing the last rites on a dying husband, he learned that
the couple was never married and, in fact, are brother and sister. In
a breathless retelling, Enda, the sister, recounts their terribly abusive
childhood at the hands of their drunken, widowed father. As Enda relates
the gripping events surrounding her and her brother's act of incest, Father
Declan finds himself mesmerized by both the tale and the teller. While
Father Declan struggles with an unyielding river, he must negotiate between
his priestly condemnation of incest and his own heart's desires toward
Enda.
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1. Jeannette Haien frames Enda's "confession" with the story of Father Declan's day of fishing at the river. How does this framing device mirror, or contrast with, Enda's story? Father Declan tells Enda, "you've netted me with your telling." What analogies might be drawn between his struggles with an unruly river and her attempts at making him understand her past choices?
2. Enda goes to great lengths to insist that her retelling of her and her brother's youth does not constitute a confession. Why is she so insistent? Why might she not want to tell Father Declan her history in a confessional? Why does she persist in referring to Father Declan as her friend and not her priest?
3. Haien paints a very vivid picture of the weather. What role does the Irish climate play in both Enda's recounting and Father Declan's fishing trip?
4. Father Declan's opinion of both Enda and her past changes radically through the course of the novel. Did your opinion likewise change? What were some of the factors that contributed to your reassessment?
5. How does Haien use Enda's present day anguish to heighten the drama of her storytelling? What effect does Father Declan's rapt listening have on your own enjoyment of Enda's story?
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