In the Forest

By: Edna O'Brien

Narrated by: Stephen Rea

In the Forest, set in the west of Ireland, is the story of a young man who shoots dead three people in a forest glade. The young man, Mich O'Kane, is "not all there in the head" as one character puts it. By puberty, he is already committing petty crimes, ending up in borstal. By the time he is back home he has also served time in a British jail and is an institutionalised criminal. His sexual fantasies, revolving around women in the village, eventually centre on Eily, an artist and single mother, who lives with her son Maddie. One day Mich pounces, and orders Eily to drive them to the woods nearby.©2004 Edna O'Brien (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Not sure how I felt about this

I've read her work before, and this was good, but it was so closely based on a true story that I felt uncomfortable reading it as fiction.

Miss

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Research the actual events before you listen to it.

What was most disappointing about Edna O'Brien’s story?

This book was a very detailed story that could have been much bettter if the author let you know right up front that it is based on a true story. More depth into the people would have helped.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Narration was fine