The Law of Dreams, Peter Behrens

The Law of Dreams by Peter Behrens is a book that received the Governor General's Award for English Fiction.   This book is based on the Irish Potato Famine.  For the life of me, I can't remember where or why I picked it up.  I have long had an interest in Ireland and the Irish in general after visiting, but I cannot remember buying this book.

Started:  3/4/2015
Completed:  Cannot remember
Recommendation: Not recommended
Recommended by:  Nobody


Words and Concepts for which I sought help:

Billing -- the action or fact of being publicized in a certain way

cadging -- ask for or obtain (something to which one is not strictly entitled)

conacre -- to sublet land

Haggard -- area adjacent to the farm yard (Irish slang)

metaled road -- A road surface formed with a mixture of tar and stone chippings


Plangeant -- a loud, reverberating sound usually associated with melacholy

profligate -- recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources

skirl -- a shrill wailing sound, especially of bag pipes

Review:

The book was interesting and started quietly, but seemed to move rather quickly into the horrors of the potato famine.  The adventures of the protagonist seem truly unrealistic, but suspending disbelief, I moved on.  The characters were hard to like and the horrors which were experienced automatically distanced the reader.  I did not enjoy it.