This plot’s preamble begins in 19th-century Oregon, but quickly pivots to a prior time in Ireland during the famine of 1847. It shares the true story of an entire starving village traveling to its British landlord begging for food. Sadly, the landlord refuses succor, and the entire town dies beside a nearby lake. In O’Mahony’s tale, only one person survives, and utterly alone in the world, Honora immediately determines to move west to America in search of some semblance of a better life.
She arrives in New York, but does not find immediate freedom. Indeed, she finds that working as a maidservant and serving at the whim of a classist master aren’t much different than being a landlord’s vassal. She escapes and moves to Ireland, only to find herself imprisoned by more destructive circumstances. She is young, beautiful, and having never known real love, easily exploited.
Before reading O’Mahony’s tale, I was aware of the great Irish famine of 1847, but I was not aware of the historical tale of Doolough, Ireland. In a society like that of the United States, pro-British narratives still prevail in many places over accurate Irish narratives, and O’Mahony rightly sheds light on history to compel human compassion. Later in the novel, she intertwines the Irish’s story with that of an Indigenous American tribe in the American Northwest.
At times, this story falls into some cliched plot sequences, especially about those of western mining towns. I would have liked to have read more imaginative plot action there. However, the Irish side of the tale, which O’Mahony relates as if it were well-known in her family, was completely new to me. Not having lived in Irish sections of the U.S., I’m grateful to have learned such history. People who are survivors themselves – or those who love survivor stories – will find much to relate to in this tale since it taps so deeply into human suffering. Despite many efforts, those tales continue today. It reminds us that harrowing circumstances, despite many pitfalls, can be overcome.
Sing, Wild Bird, Sing: A Novel
By Jacqueline O’Mahony
Copyright (c) 2023
Lake Union
ISBN13 9781662512186
Page Count: 285
Genre: Historical Fiction
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