The Deposition of Father McGreevy

Brian O'Doherty

Well, I'm not too sure what to say about this Booker Prize nominee by Brian O'Doherty. It was interesting, in an odd sort of way. The village priest, Father McGreevy, is telling a policeman his account of how his little hamlet disappeared, person by person - first the women died of a mysterious disease, and then the young ones were sent off to school, and the village idiot...well, let's just say he was often the most interesting character in the book. The story wanders hither and yon, interrupted by footnotes, supposedly added by the journalist researching the story. The ending dissolves into confusion and left me wondering why O'Doherty didn't just stay with the priest's story. He certainly had an excellent way with dialogue - I 'heard' most of this book with an Irish accent. If you're looking for insight into how an Irish mountain village survives (barely) brutal winters, then I can recommend this. In my opinion though, it's probably best to borrow the book from the library.