ALL WE SHALL KNOW by Donal Ryan – book review

This is one book I would have never read if it wasn’t picked for the book club. I never heard of the author before and probably I wouldn’t have took it off any shelf judging by the cover.

However, I am glad it was chosen as it stirred so many discussions and arguments in our group. Some purely hated it or I dare say didn’t quite get it, some defended Melody (the main character) all the way and some, like myself, judged her and felt compassion, completely understood her so in the end to be left confused and judge her again.

The book lacks some detailing and I would dare say because it is a pregnancy journal written by a man – I thought about it finding out that the author is not female (sometime towards the end of the book). I am not sexist at all but however, I felt that certain happenings, certain emotions should have been described in more detail and from a female’s perspective of things as we all know that men and women are wired differently when it comes to reason and/ or being rational.

The book contains lots of information about the travelers community and it was interesting to discover their world as well as some of their “laws” and traditions. It was quite frustrating to read about a woman’s life within the community and how she is left out and considered a nobody just because she cannot conceive a child. I found myself loving Mary and wanting to be her friend, wanting to suck in all her maturity and philosophy on life.

I think I actually wanted to read more Mary than Melody. The main character is a bit deranged or maybe just suffers from temporary insanity from all miscarriages she goes through. She became mean with her husband and living a toxic marriage (at least this is my perspective on it), she intentionally got pregnant having an affair with a 17 year old (she is 33) and became an outcast in the Irish catholic community.

I found excuses for her but in the same time, finding out what she did in the end made me not hate her but just dislike her. I couldn’t find the meaning behind her decision. She left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.

As I have been through such a painful and dramatic experience that is a miscarriage, I feel that her feeling towards the pregnancy when she first found out and her decision after giving birth are just irrational but in the same time, I am not the author and the book is called “All we shall know” for a reason.

I would love to know if you read this book and your thoughts on it if you stumble upon my review.