Someone

Marie Commeford is an ordinary Irish-American girl growing

up in Brooklyn, NY during the early 1940's. This novel by the talented author Alice McDermott is a simple novel that follows the life of Marie, her priest brother, hard working mother and hard drinking loving father. They have little but for the love of their family and deep faith in doing right by the church, this small quiet story meticulously hides the meaning of their lives, their dreams and their losses. The small spare apartments, little sunshine lighting their lives leaves Marie sort of glum but dreaming of more. As luck would have it she marries Tom (at not such a young age) and has four children to carry on and lend her life the purpose she has dreamed of since childhood. Reminding me a bit of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the writing draws the reader into the story with ease. The only downside is the characters are not enticing and the story is so quiet it leaves the reader on the edge of always wanting something more to happen. I could never say I did not like "Someone" due to the quality from this gifted writer but I would find it hard to pick for my book club as we would have little to discuss.  Someone: A Novel