I always try and start my reading year with a book I’ve been looking forward to. Last year it was ‘Shuggie Bain’, which I loved and still think about. This year was no different. I’ve had Jan Carson’s ‘The raptures’ on my E-reader since mid December and kept reaching for it but held off, only starting it in the new year. Yet again, the absolutely right decision as I became engrossed in this story for five days. I could have read it in half the time but I preferred to savour it for that little bit longer.

Hannah

The backdrop to the story is this - a number of children with from a small village called Ballylack in the North of Ireland begin to fall gravely ill, and no one knows why. It takes place in 1993 at the start of the summer holidays, and eight weeks before Hannah and her classmates move on to the ‘Big school.’ Hannah watches her friends get sick but she seems to stay healthy. Tempers fray in the village as outsiders descend and a frantic search for the cause begins, with secrets uncovered and beliefs challenged.

I remember my own summer before I moved on to High School - a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Excited about getting older, the prospect of new friends and other possibilities (I went to an all boys primary School), and other subjects to study. On the other hand, you’re leaving behind these classmates that you’ve been together with for seven years. Sure, you’d see them in the corridors of the new school and nod at each other but that tight knit group was about to be broken up. Jan Carson does a fantastic job of looking at these anxieties through the character of Hannah and her friends.

Religion

It’s pointless to try and pigeon hole ‘the raptures’, and it’s really refreshing to read a book that is so many things. There’s the story itself, a bit of a mystery as they search for the cause. There’s a huge religious element to the book, with various levels of faith and belief represented, with it’s limitations and comforts. It is dark but also hilarious, especially on some of the over the top (to me) elements of religion - at one stage, during a particular fervent prayer session at a hospital beside, a character has to go to the toilet but the chanting continues because ‘Healing can happen at any time. Anywhere. At any time. Even when the subject’s wandered off.’

I also enjoyed the exploring of the relationships between fathers and sons, especially those from a rural background, and the differing roles of mothers and fathers. It also looks at how ‘outsiders’ feel in a tightly knitted community, as well as orange traditions such as Marching and the twelfth. And of course the book takes place in the nineties, with the north still in the midst of ‘the troubles’ so there’s conflict and trauma.

Troubles and trauma

I remember this time period, but was part of the ‘other community’, and lived closer to the border. And I was over ten years older than Hannah. I had a different upbringing but there’s so much of this that’s especially familiar to me. I still think that many of us suffer shared PTSD from those times, that only those who lived through it can understand. I know that I still get occasional startling flashbacks and that many of us still suffer from anxiety and depression because of what we lived through. To live in fear at any age is a terrible thing, but to be full of fear when you are still in single figures is particularly grim. But there is hope in this book, and I remember going on peace marches whilst I was a student at University in Belfast at this time. More lives would be lost but we were on the verge of peace breaking out, and I think there’s a sense of that in the dreams of Hannah and her friends. Wanting something more.

Language

I loved the language in ‘the raptures’ - it’s been a while since I heard phrases such as ‘Boys a dear’ which I remember my Grandfather saying. Speaking of which, the Granda in this book was probably my favourite character, world weary but level headed. He doesn’t suffer fools and instinctively understands what Hannah needs.

It is a dark topic, and the momments of hilarity certainly season the book and lighten the mood. I found the stories of each of the children and their families particularly moving. So much of this book felt familiar to me, such as rural villages, townlands, trees with bits of material tied to them and holy wells - Jan Carson does an amazing job of showing the parochialism of ‘this here place’ and how deep rooted faith and belief is.

But of course Hannah is the star. Jan Carson makes her completely real, and I really felt I was listening to her innermost thoughts, so terse, at times funny, then turning to anguish. The story is wonderfully paced, the writing is vivid and inventive and crystal clear. I literally just disappeared into this book every time I lifted it. It’s obviously very close to Jan’s heart and you can tell she has put everything into this, very much a labour of love it seemed to me.

Summary

If I have a criticism, it’s that I could have done without the 2 unlimited ear worm (“No no, no no no no, no no no no no no no there's no limit”) and if you’re looking for a book that offers clear conclusions at the end, you’ll probably be disappointed. There are some parts that I’m still not sure what I’m meant to think about but am completely ok with that, as each persons reading is obviously subjective.

No doubt I’ll be thinking about ‘The raptures’ for a while to come yet; there is much in this book that has to settle with me. It was the same with another of Carson’s books, ‘The fire starters’ - I still think about it despite having read it a couple of years back and my understanding of it has probably changed.

Apologies, I’m not usually as gushing and effusive in my book reviews and have sort of lost the run of myself, as we say in these parts. Will the faithful be called up when Jesus returns, as a belief in ‘The raptures’ predicts? I’m not sure about that, but I am sure I will be recommending this book to friends and family.

Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest book review.

The raptures by Jan Carson

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 6, 2022 by Doubleday

As usual, here is the Amazon UK Amazon US and bookshops.org. I only include this for those not close to a store/library and as an affiliate I earn a small amount which goes to the upkeep of the site if you click on it. But as usual, please support your local bookshop and library. I would have been getting in contact with No Alibis fantastic bookshop in Belfast if I hadn’t received an advance copy. But I mean look at that cover - it has to be in line for one of my favourites of the year, even at this early stage.