Castlefreke #1
Welcome to my first book crush of the new year. It’s set in the late 80s, as tiny Castlefreke in County Cork, Ireland, experiences a shrinkage as jobs and inhabitants flee for bigger towns and more opportunity. Swimming against that tide is central character Emma, the town librarian, who has returned home to live with her dad, Sam, after her dream career in the Garda didn’t work out. After one of Sam’s frequent nags about moving on, Emma takes off and ends up at the “Big House” in town. There she hears shots, witnesses a man fleeing, and finds the reclusive owner dead and another unknown man injured, then takes off to the town doctor to summon help.
So far, so cozy. But what makes one book sing a little more than another, very similar book? There are many factors, one of them being prose, and O’Donnell writes with a loveliness that’s both sturdy and delicate, framing the story with a huge, destructive storm named Ophelia and weaving sightings of foxes and bats throughout. Foxes can symbolize many things, but one is “wild loveliness” and another is “mischief,” both of which apply here, while bats can be seen as a symbol of change and rebirth. And there is indeed some serious change rumbling toward tiny Castlefreke, coming like a freight train, and Ophelia and the murder in the Big House are the kick off.
Symbolism is all well and good, but another crucial element that makes a book sing is character, and O’Donnell appears to understand and portray it masterfully. Emma loves her library but regrets not only her change in career, but the absence of her long ago hometown honey, Charley. But when the identity of the other man who was shot is revealed, it brings the very same Charley back to town. We are there with Emma as she travels back through childhood to young adulthood, revisiting the relationships she’s had with her Dad and Charley, as well as the other central characters in the story.
When the injured man’s father asks Emma to use the skills she’s learned in the Garda to investigate and clear his son, she steps up. She tries to be guided by Sherlock Holmes, but she realizes the details she notices are not as complex as his. What works for her is knowing everyone in town, including the somewhat skeezy police sergeant Noonan and a local lawyer who seems to operate on not quite the right side of the law. But it’s not until Emma teams up with the lawyer’s secretary, the lonely yet observant and quietly funny Mary, that the investigation really takes off.
There is another pretty heartbreaking death and a dollop of danger for Emma, but she’s surrounded by community and loved ones, and that gives her investigation a boost. I never worried that things wouldn’t be set to rights – a cozy/traditional element – but the sensitive writing, character detail and lovely setting for this novel make it a complete standout. I read it with a lump in my throat. This is a spectacular debut. — Robin Agnew