![]() ![]() Where Haven fell down for me was in its thematic concerns and, to an extent, its characterisation. While it helped that I could easily visualise this place due to its appearances in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi as Luke Skywalker’s hideout, Donoghue brought it to greater life. Having recently visited the Farne Islands, the sharp descriptions of the bird populations on Skellig Michael also rang true to me. Through the oldest of the three, Cormac, we learn about masonry the youngest of the three, Trian, struggles with the copying of manuscripts that is required of him by their leader, Artt, trying to find new ways to mix ink when he’d prefer to be out fishing and fowling. Donoghue painstakingly and lovingly explores the details of the monks’ difficult lives as they try to eke out an existence in this unpromising place. There are aspects of this novel I really liked. However, I love quiet, slow historical stories about faith and isolation, and I’ve never read a Donoghue novel I didn’t like ( Hood, The Sealed Letter, The Wonder, Room) or love ( Stir-Fry, Akin, The Pull of the Stars). Three monks set out to found a refuge from the world in seventh-century Ireland, eventually alighting on Skellig Michael, an isolated rock in the middle of the sea home to puffins, shearwaters, cormorants, auks and not much else. Emma Donoghue’s Haven doesn’t have the ingredients to be an obvious bestseller. ![]()
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