The Ram of God: A Novel - Hardcover

Playwright-novelist Keane movingly evokes the pervasive pettiness and prejudice of Irish rural life, blighting dreams and love, in the story of a young man who's destined for the priesthood but is nearly destroyed by gossip, family greed, and his own stubbornness. The story, set in one of those small Irish communities where the pubs outnumber everything else, is as much about an insidious national pathology as it is about the hard times of Eddie Drannaghy. Keane's Ireland is a country where, as ``husband and children took precedence, it was fashionable for overworked mothers to neglect themselves'' and ``where only the unemployed can afford to drink on a regular basis.'' A devout lad and a good student, Eddie has entered the local seminary. But the flesh is weak: He is seduced by a visiting cousin from the US, a tryst that's observed by his twin brothers. An anonymous note to the seminary president then gets Eddie expelled. In the years that follow, he works the family farm left by his father to the twins. Eventually, however, those two come under the influence of the greedy Mollie Cronane, owner of the local supermarket, who is anxious to marry off her own two (already pregnant) daughters and get more land in the bargain. Though the twins die before their weddings, Mollie is even more determined to get the Drannaghy farm for her family. But Eddie, now the legal owner, refuses to sell. He regards his ownership as a sacred trust, and Mollie's conspiracies, violent attacks, and malicious slander--he is accused of impregnating a teenager, who later commits suicide--do not deter him. Eddie stands firm, is exonerated, and at last, miraculously, finds love amidst the mayhem and meanness. Keane, an Irish storyteller in the best tradition (The Bodhran Makers, 1992, etc.), scants the blarney to tell a tale that resonates with truth and with compassion for a people trapped by poverty--both spiritual and temporal. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

One of Ireland's most popular writers, Keane (Durango) usually delivers a lively combination of rambunctious drama and earthy sexuality, plus a zesty taste of the sometimes contradictory sensibilities of his rural countrymen. This novel is no exception, as he constructs an eventful tale around that most unfortunate of creatures, a failed priest. The Ram of God (a crude nickname donated by his brothers) is a man of passion all the same, both misunderstood and revered in his community. As the story progresses, his lonely inclination toward a spiritual vocation will be challenged. Meanwhile, he weaves through a scenario that features, variously, battles over land, sexual intrigue, religious temptation, domestic violence, racism, the trafficking of pornography, personal revenge and family tragedy, all perpetrated or experienced by a splendidly colorful cast of characters. While Keane's approach is overworked, even stagey, the author has lived his life in the milieu he writes about and brings a vivid sense of place to his tale. Pervaded with a strong dramatic, even cinematic quality, this is a solid melodrama propelled by the lilt of musical language and honest scenes of Irish country life.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.