The Gathering by Anne Enright: Book Discussion Guide

Originally published as part of the Reader's Den online book discussion from 09/01/09 - 09/30/09

The first words of Anne Enright's book, The Gathering are as follows:

"I would like to write down what happened in my grandmother's house the summer I was eight or nine, but I am not sure if it really did happen. I need to bear witness to an uncertain event. I feel it roaring inside me--this thing that may not have taken place. I don't even know what name to put on it. I think you might call it a crime of the flesh, but the flesh is long fallen away and I am not sure what hurt may linger in the bones."

This quote is from the narrator, Veronica Hegarty, about an event that may or may not have occurred to her recently deceased brother, Liam in their childhood. As she tries to piece together her memories from childhood in the wake of Liam's suicide and funeral, she confronts the possible sexual abuse of her brother by her grandmother's friend and landlord. The Gathering switches back and force from the present to Veronica's childhood and back even further to her grandmother Ada's youth. Her memories of childhood events are contributed to and sometimes changed by her siblings while they gather for the wake of their brother. Hegarty family events are remembered differently depending on who is relating the tale, certain subjects are off limits and not talked about for reasons that are not easily articulated, emotions run deep.

About the Author

Anne Enright was born in Dublin in 1962. She has written eight books and is a frequent contributer to The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Granta and The Guardian among other publications. The Gathering won the Man Booker prize in 2007. To read more about her and the Booker prize award, check out this interview of her in The Guardian.

Here's a NY Times review of the novel.

Here are a few discussion questions to think about:

Her brother's possible sexual abuse is something Veronica feels a tremendous amount of guilt for, but in the beginning she's not even sure if it happened. How does this change over the course of the novel?

Veronica's mother, detached and emotionally absent, cemented the close sibling bond between the Hegarty children because they had to tip toe around her. How is Veronica's relationship with her own daughters different?

Consider this quote from page 164. "There was great privacy in a big family... no one ever pitied you or loved you a little." What does this mean?

According to Veronica, her brother "Liam’s fate was written in his bones" (p.163). Judging by the guilt she seems to feel about what happened between Nugent and Liam, does she believe that his fate was set in motion by that incident?

Liam’s suicide seems to be a sort of catalyst for Veronica to explore her childhood memories of him and search for the point in their family life that set him off course. Was the guilt she has about Liam’s abuse present throughout her life, or do you believe the memories have only resurfaced after his death?

Liam's child Rowan was previously unknown to the Hegartys but he is met with love and happiness. What is his role within the family?

What does the future hold for Veronica in regard to her husband and family? Has her character grown throughout the novel, and, if so, how? Did you find her empathetic?

If you enjoyed Anne Enright's book, here are some other similar authors for you to check out.

Joan Didion - especially The Year of Magical Thinking.
James Joyce - Irish literature at its best.
Flannery O'Connor Ian McEwan - try the lesser known On Chesil Beach, beautiful writing in this sad novel.
John Banville - The Sea is another Booker Prize winner.