The Eskimo in the Net

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Summary: The Eskimo in the Net
Review: From start to finish, 'The Eskimo in the Net' by Gerard Beirne is an outstanding read. Never once does this book waver off course on its voyage to uncover the complexities of truth. Beirne has the rare gift of being both a superior storyteller and skilled craftsman.

After the main character, Jim Gallagher, hauls up a dead Eskimo in his fishing net off the coast of Northern Ireland, he sets out on a personal journey to find the origins of the unknown man. The side trips along the way make for fascinating reading: Jim's exploration of self, the unique power of friendship, the interplay of relationships and the mysteries hidden inside all of us.

I loved the way I got to know the characters in the book, not just as either good or bad but all the murky gray that made them seem truly human. I felt a part of the intimate lifelong friendship between Jim, Knucky and Frances and struggled along with them through the pages.

Five stars for this beautifully written novel! This is a book you will want to read over and over again.

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Summary: How to Get Tangled Up with "The Eskimo in the Net"
Review: If you want to get caught by this quirky, evocative novel, all you need to do is read the first line. "Everything started to go wrong the day we dragged the Eskimo up in the net off Malin Head." Who could ask for a more intriguing opening sentence? Right from the first scenes, set aboard Knucky's fishing boat, willing readers get entangled in the snarled-up mess. As the two Irish fishermen, Jim Gallagher (the main character) and Knucky (one of Jim's best friends, and present employer) verbally wrestle over what to do with the partially decomposed body, Beirne lures his audience into the obsessive darkness which permeates the novel. His graphic descriptions of the Eskimo's corpse resting amongst the piles of wiggling fish and web of netting are both fascinating and morbid. Throughout the book, he maintains this clear, strong narrative voice. He also paints a memorable picture of the bleak ruggedness of the Irish coast, with its isolated fishing villages, where people are pushed, or driven, into alcoholic binges and stange sadness. Even the weather, with its constant damp, and unrelenting wind, emerges as another hard-nosed, but compelling, character. When Jim realizes the Irish authorities do not plan to fully investigate the circumstances leading to the Eskimo's death, he sets out on his own voyage of fixated, and often intoxicated, discovery. Beirne portrays the stumbling uncertainties of Jim's search with a compassionate, and sometimes surprisingly comic, voice. The scenes in the local pubs, encounters with Irish authorities, and glimpses into life abroard a Russian fishing trawler are especially captivating. Throughout the novel,the tangled mysteries of life's choices, of staying or leaving, of acting or not acting, of loving or refusing to love, are explored. Whether Jim likes it or not, he is being pulled along to a revelation of the truth about his own life. With a cast of deftly drawn characters, and enough mystery, death, drugs, and sex to sustain even the most jaded reader, Gerard Beirne creates an engrossing world of convoluted love, friendship, and compulsion, set in an unforgiving environment. It is a strong debut novel for a very fine writer, and sure to be well-received in North America, the British Isles and Europe.