Lisa Carey is the author of The Mermaids Singing, In the Country of the Young, and Love in the Asylum. She lived in Ireland for five years and now resides in Portland, Maine, with her husband and their son.
"[P]rose that blossoms like a bruise, both aching and vivid . . . heartbreaking and, ultimately, redemptive. A-" -- Entertainment Weekly"Carey skillfully unfolds . . . a compelling, believable portrait of the confusion of adolescence." -- Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers"Graceful, affecting . . . rewarding, suffused in lucid grief and delicate longings." -- Publishers Weekly"It's impossible not to be swept along by the untidy, ultimately hopeful family drama." -- Booklist"I read EVERY VISIBLE THING...late into the night, loath to put it down even to sleep...[A] remarkable feat." -- Ayelet Waldman, author of Love and Other Impossible Pursuits"Heartfelt . . . Carey details the Fureys' disintegration and tentative steps toward rapprochement." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"Powerful . . . Carey's compelling, dark, and frightening story does promise a glimmer of hope." -- Library Journal (starred review)"[B]racing insight and sensitivity...a dramatic reminder of just what a corrosive mixture grief and silence can be." -- Washington Post Book World
In her graceful, affecting fourth novel, Carey (Love in the Asylum) revisits themes from her previous books-family, tragedy, grief and resilience-with visceral drama and pathos. In the mid-'80s, on the outskirts of Boston, 15-year-old Lena and 10-year-old Owen Furey are coming of age in the aftermath of their older brother Hugh's disappearance. Two years on, Hugh is presumed dead, and the Furey parents have buried themselves in their work: mother Elizabeth as a medical student, father Henry as an editor of religious books. Left to their own devices, the Furey children flirt with self-destruction, giving flesh to the mythic symbolism of their last name. While Lena pursues a dangerous search for proof of Hugh's fate, tracking his movements through images from his old camera, Owen calls on Hugh as a protecting angel to help him deal with his stirring sexual attraction to best friend Danny (and with Danny's harsh reprisals). Though the novel suffers from an unwieldy structure, switching between Lena's first person and a third-person portrayal of Owen, the play between sections devoted to each child proves rewarding, suffused in lucid grief and delicate longings. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Carey (The Mermaids Singing) offers a powerful closeup of the Furey family beginning in the 1980s. Hugh Furey, 15, was the near-perfect child, adored by his parents and admired by his younger siblings. His sparkling personality and charm change dramatically, however, when he becomes involved in a disastrous romance that leads to his disappearance. Five years on, his parents have put this tragedy and their memory of Hugh behind them. But now 15-year-old Lena and ten-year-old Owen struggle with their loss-rebellious Lena feels she must pursue dangerous paths in her hunt for information about Hugh, while troubled Owen is hounded by hostile schoolmates. Reacting to these new family traumas, the aptly named Fureys falter and come close to unraveling. This intimate study of family dysfunction combines with an intense look at adolescence. Switching between first-person (Lena) and third-person (Owen) narration, Carey's compelling, dark, and frightening story does promise a glimmer of hope. Strongly recommended for all libraries. [Two of Carey's novels-In the Country of the Young and The Mermaids Singing-have been optioned for film.-Ed.]-Andrea Tarr, Corona P.L., CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
"[P]rose that blossoms like a bruise, both aching and vivid . . . heartbreaking and, ultimately, redemptive. A-" -- Entertainment Weekly"Carey skillfully unfolds . . . a compelling, believable portrait of the confusion of adolescence." -- Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers"Graceful, affecting . . . rewarding, suffused in lucid grief and delicate longings." -- Publishers Weekly"It's impossible not to be swept along by the untidy, ultimately hopeful family drama." -- Booklist"I read EVERY VISIBLE THING...late into the night, loath to put it down even to sleep...[A] remarkable feat." -- Ayelet Waldman, author of Love and Other Impossible Pursuits"Heartfelt . . . Carey details the Fureys' disintegration and tentative steps toward rapprochement." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"Powerful . . . Carey's compelling, dark, and frightening story does promise a glimmer of hope." -- Library Journal (starred review)"[B]racing insight and sensitivity...a dramatic reminder of just what a corrosive mixture grief and silence can be." -- Washington Post Book World
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