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Troubles by J.G. Farrell - 4* - My Review

Set in Kilnarnock, Ireland during the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921), this novel follows British Major Brendan Archer. He is a World War I veteran who travels to Ireland after the war to join his fiancée, Angela, whom he met on leave. Her family owns the Majestic, a hotel that is literally crumbling down around its inhabitants and is far from its glory days as a resort for the wealthy. It is now populated by elderly British ladies, overrun by cats, and is literally crumbling around its inhabitants. Even so, he cannot bring himself to leave.

The storyline portrays the strange allure of this hotel and his attraction to the mysterious Sarah. It unfolds against the increasing violence of the struggle for Irish independence. Farrell uses the hotel's physical deterioration to symbolize the collapse of British rule in Ireland. It is an unusual combination of Gothic, historical fiction, and a parody of a comedy of manners. Troubles won the Lost Man Booker Prize in 2010 (awarded retrospectively for books published in 1970). It includes enough humor and intrigue to keep me enthralled from beginning to end. It is not a cheery book but worth reading.