FICTION

The Last Storyteller

by Frank Delaney
Random. 2012. c.400p. ISBN 9781400067855. $26. F
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Ben McCarthy, the protagonist of Delaney's previous novels of Ireland, roams the country collecting lore for the Folklore Commission. Haunted by the memories of his estranged wife, Venetia Kelly, and the children he's never met, McCarthy encounters John O'Neill, a storyteller in the ancient style, whose tales foreshadow McCarthy's own experiences in late-Fifties Ireland and serve as stunning testaments to the healing power of storytelling. Rather than assume heroic proportions, though, McCarthy's travels and encounters vivify the achingly human dimensions of O'Neill's stories. Reunited with Venetia and their children, McCarthy embraces his destiny as suggested in O'Neill's narratives and, ultimately, by the storyteller's own heroic life.
VERDICT Set against the turbulent backdrop of the sectarian violence that would lead to the Troubles in the Sixties, this novel is a stirring showcase for Delaney's skill at mingling lyrical fiction and historical fact. It beautifully concludes the romantic trajectory set in motion in Venetia Kelly's Travelling Show and The Matchmaker of Kenmare. [See Prepub Alert, 8/21/11.]
Reviewed by J. Greg Matthews, Washington State Univ. Libs., Pullman , Mar 15, 2012
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