A...magnanimity—though of a more ebullient kind—infuses the work of the Irish writer Joseph O’Connor ... The overall tone of Mr. O’Connor’s new novel, My Father’s House, is, by contrast, more urgent than elegiac, and its suspenseful plot has little time for bittersweet rumination ... Mr. O’Connor re-creates with consummate skill while painting a subtle portrait of an erudite scholar who was also a defiant and formidable man of action ... For all its thrills, however, My Father’s House is primarily—and triumphantly—an intimate drama that illuminates both the fragility and the wonder of unlikely human connections forged in adversity and, in some cases, enduring for a lifetime.
Begins with a potent blend of excitement, suspense and intrigue ... The result is a gripping World War II-set drama featuring the unlikeliest of heroes, one whom the reader roots for every step of the way ... Hugely satisfying.
Masterly ... This is a literary thriller of the highest order. The incarnation of O’Flaherty, the Irish Oskar Schindler, is sublime. What often elevates a writer is compassion, and O’Connor has it in spades – paying tribute to the courage of those who resist tyranny. Beautifully crafted, his razor-sharp dialogue is to be savoured, and he employs dark humour to great effect. The plot twists keep on coming until the novel’s coda, where a final joyful conceit is revealed.
Riveting ... A brisk, polyphonic narrative that brings the heroism of ordinary individuals thrillingly to life ... Historical details are scattered like gems ... Any writer worth their salt can do the research and present the facts. Where My Father’s House really shines is in O’Connor’s assembly of the material and his ventriloquistic way with voice ... A novel full of deft characterisation and knowledge, not just the historical facts, but the broader – grander? – wisdom to be found in excavating the past in order to understand who we are.
O’Connor is a masterful storyteller, weaving a violent, terrifying, suspenseful, yet ultimately uplifting story of one man’s courage and determination to fight back against Nazi brutality, whatever the risk. Superb!
Riveting ... Through wonderfully developed and varied characters, O’Connor conveys both the painful privations of life during wartime and the nobility of the Choir’s goals, and the unfolding of O’Flaherty’s marathon of undercover subterfuges that lay the groundwork for their mission in the middle section is a storytelling tour de force. This is top-drawer WWII fiction.
If the story were told in typical thriller style, emphasizing action over language, it would still be good, but O’Connor’s phrasings are a special joy ... A deeply emotional read. And when the action is over, the coda could water an atheist’s eye.
