Review: The Good People

The Good People - I thought the title was referring to the inhabitants of the Irish village where this novel is set. It’s 1825, and the Good People are, in fact, the fairy folk. Life is harsh and unpredictable, death is no stranger. The Good People are held responsible for many of the misfortunes that befall the valley’s families. It is a time of superstition, fuelled by fear and grief and hunger and loss.
Hannah Kent has again been inspired by true events. Using the bare bones of a case of infanticide that occurred in 1826, she creates a story that I found quite harrowing. It picks up tempo and by the end I was racing to finish, desperate to know what happens to the women who are the main players.
This novel also made me so angry! Don’t get me started on the pompous priest, who tells the villagers that he will not stand for them believing in fairies, changelings and Nance Roche’s ‘knowledge’ on the one hand, and then in the next he’s spraying holy water all about, claiming it will ’take away the evil’. Who’s the hypocrite? GRRRRR.
So, as you can see, I was totally engrossed in this novel. Highly recommended for readers from Year 10+

• Review
• Hannah Kent