Stay

Description

272 pages
$21.95
ISBN 1-55192-568-0
DDC C813'.6

Publisher

Year

2002

Contributor

Reviewed by Debbie Feisst

Debbie Feisst is the reference/Internet resources librarian in the
Information Services Division of the Edmonton Public Library.

Review

Vancouver-based poet and acclaimed writer Aislinn Hunter delivers an
impressive first novel. Short-listed for the 2003 Books in
Canada/Amazon.ca First Novel Award, Stay was described by the Globe and
Mail as “one of the best books of 2002.” Hunter has spent time
living in Ireland and teaches creative writing at the University of
Victoria. Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies, as
well as in her own collection (What’s Left Us). Her poetry collection,
Into the Early Hours, won the 2002 Gerald Lampert Award sponsored by the
League of Canadian Poets.

The novel follows Abbey, a 26-year-old Canadian woman living in a
village outside Galway in western Ireland. Abbey moved to Ireland from
Ontario after the death of her father and works part-time in a
restaurant in Dublin. She lives in a tiny cottage with middle-aged
Dermot, with whom she has had a stormy relationship for a year. Often
leaving Galway for extended periods to work extra hours, Abbey finds
herself wanting to escape from Dermot, his insecurities, and their
complicated relationship, but she is always drawn back to him and the
cottage. Dermot, a disgraced former Trinity College professor, sleeps
poorly while Abbey is away and frets constantly over whether she will
return. To pass the time, he spends nights at the local pub, often with
his friend Michael, an anthropologist who is taking part in a dig of a
local bog. Michael, having known Dermot for many years, offers snippets
of history and some insights into Dermot’s character, career, and past
loves.

There are a number of memorable secondary characters who round out the
story and assist in drawing a vivid picture of small-town Ireland,
which, having resisted change for many years, is caught up in burgeoning
modernity. Many of the villagers are excited about the prospect of an
Irish soap opera that is set to film in their village, but feel uneasy
about the increasing numbers of foreign tourists who are filling up
their pubs with strange faces. The reader is able to experience
intimate, basic details of these people’s lives. Stay is a poignant
novel about passion, roots, belonging, and obligations.

Citation

Hunter, Aislinn., “Stay,” Canadian Book Review Annual Online, accessed November 22, 2024, https://cbra.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/17668.