{"id":120,"date":"2017-04-03T22:17:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-03T22:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/index.php\/2017\/04\/03\/the-good-people-by-hannah-kent-australia-2016\/"},"modified":"2019-12-31T08:15:41","modified_gmt":"2019-12-30T21:15:41","slug":"the-good-people-by-hannah-kent-australia-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/the-good-people-by-hannah-kent-australia-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"The Good People by Hannah Kent, Australia, 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hannah Kent\u2019s second book follows in the footsteps of her first book, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Burial Rites<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>, where the story plays out against a background that is harsh, grey, cold and unforgiving. While <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Burial Rites<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>is set in Iceland, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>The Good People <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/i>has the Irish winter of<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>1825\/1826 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>as its background<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>. Kent\u2019s ability to capture <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>a physical sensation of <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>cold and deprivation in her writing is to be admired.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
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This is a book about the complexity of myth and superstition and the way in which it merges with traditional religious belief. The story, situated in an Irish rural village of the early nineteenth century, centres on three women: N<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>\u03cc<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>ra, newly widowed and the guardian of her <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>deceased <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>daughter\u2019s four-year-old child, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Miche\u00e1l<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>; Nance, the village <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>wise woman; and Mary, a fourteen-year-old girl <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>hired by <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>N<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>\u03cc<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>ra<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>to help her with Miche\u00e1l.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
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Miche\u00e1l is disabled, though, if we are to believe <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>N<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>\u03cc<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>ra, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>he <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>began<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> life as well and healthy as any other child. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Although she fears that her daughter and son-in-law<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i> may have<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>failed to care for him and feed him properly, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>Nance <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>strongly believes that<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> he is a changeling: the real Miche\u00e1l has been taken by the fairies or the good people.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
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The story unwinds against a background <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>where a depressing<\/span> Irish winter competes only with <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ignorance, h<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>erbal remedies <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>and <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>an unbelievable array of <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>concoctions to ward off harm and\/or bring luck. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>T<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>raditional religious practices <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>may be<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> part of every-day life for these people, <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>but a<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>s the new priest soon realizes (much to his chagrin) his flock is not only Christian but also pagan.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
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The Good People <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>should appeal to most readers but especially to those who have experienced Irish superstitions and folk lore at first hand. It is a book that once commenced cannot be put down.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
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Photo of Hannah Kent from The Australian<\/span><\/a>
\n<\/u><\/i><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Hannah Kent\u2019s second book follows in the footsteps of her first book, Burial Rites, where the story plays out against a background that is harsh, grey, cold and unforgiving. While Burial Ritesis set in Iceland, The Good People has the Irish winter of1825\/1826 as its background. Kent\u2019s ability to capture a physical sensation of … <\/p>\n

+ Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diane.eklund.abolins.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}