When All Is Said
Anne Griffin, 2019
St. Martin's Press
336 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781250200587
Summary
I'm here to remember–all that I have been and all that I will never be again.
- If you had to pick five people to sum up your life, who would they be?
- If you were to raise a glass to each of them, what would you say?
- And what would you learn about yourself, when all is said?
At the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He’s alone, as usual—though tonight is anything but. Pull up a stool and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story.
Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories—of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice - the life of one man will be powerful and poignantly laid bare.
Beautifully heart-warming and powerfully felt, the voice of Maurice Hannigan will stay with you long after all is said and done. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—1969
• Where—Dublin, Ireland
• Education—B.A., M.A., University College Dublin
• Awards—John McGahern Award for Literature
• Currently—lives in Dublin, Ireland
Anne Griffin is an Irish author, best known for her award-winning short stories. In 2019 she published her first novel, When All Is Said. Griffin was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. She received her B.A. from University College Dublin (UCD),
After spending eight years working for Waterstones in both Dublin and London, Griffin decided to change career paths. She attended Maynooth University, earning a post-graduate diploma in community and youth work, and dor the next two decades, she worked with charities—Women’s Aid, Youth Work Ireland, and the Dyslexia Association of Ireland
In 2013 Griffin turned to writing fiction, and two years later, in 2015, she returned to UDC to pursue a Master's in Creative Writing.
Griffin's short fiction has gained her recognition: she won the John McGahern Award for Literature and was shortlisted for both the Hennessey New Irish Writing Award and the Sunday Business Post Short Story Competition. Her work has been featured in the Irish Times and Stinging Fly.
Griffin lives in Ireland with her husband and son. (Adapted from the publisher bio and the author's website. Retrieved 3/6/2019.)
Book Reviews
[Anne Griffin] builds a remarkably rich sense of place, while also tracing the wider changes affecting Ireland.… Maurice is a lovingly rendered example of the current vogue for characters who have fallen through the cracks.
SundayTimes (UK)
An impressively confident debut novel.
Guardian (UK)
Griffin is a magical storyteller whose prose is effortless and clear. She conjures an intimate, poignant and ultimately enthralling portrait of a man who has battled loneliness and other demons throughout his life. Maurice is superbly well-realised: a character who tries to make amends and, in so doing, cracked my heart.
Fanny Blake - Daily Mail (UK)
An atmospheric debut.… The most impressive aspects of this first novel are its rich, flowing prose, it’s convincing voice and it’s imaginative and clever structure.… Griffin is a welcome arrival to the literary scene.
Irish Times
While the plot hinges heavily on coincidence, and the device of addressing an absent son feels extraneous, Maurice is a likable and complex character…. [His] humor, his keen observations …create the feeling of a life connected to many others by strands of affection and hatred
Publishers Weekly
Griffin's storytelling, while economical, is rich and evocative…. Most impressive …is her creation of Maurice. His voice is credible, his story absorbing, and his humanity painfully familiar.… this unforgettable first novel introduces Griffin as a writer to watch. —John G. Matthews, Washington State Univ. Libs., Pullman
Library Journal
Griffin's deeply moving debut novel highlights the power of nostalgia, the pang of regret, and the impact that very special individuals can have on our lives.
Booklist
What becomes of the brokenhearted? That question, asked—and answered equivocally—in the Motown classic, receives a more thorough treatment in Griffin's debut novel.… Griffin's [novel] provides a stage for the exploration of guilt, regret, and loss, all in the course of one memorable night.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. After reading the author’s note about her conversation with Lale Sokolov, the Tattooist of Auschwitz, did knowing that Cilka’s story is based on areal person change your reading experience? Does the author weave fact and realistic fiction into the story effectively? In what ways?
2. What drew you to this time period and novel? What can humanity still learn from this historical space—from the front lines of an infamous concentration camp to the brutal Russian Gulags? How was this story unique in its voice and characters?
3. Is Cilka’s prison sentence in Vorkuta as punishment for "sleeping with the enemy" in the concentration camp cruel? Was she forced into this role in order to survive as a mere sixteen-year-old girl? How might Cilka’s outward behavior compare to her inner intentions?
4. "What you are doing, Cilka, is the only form of resistance you have—staying alive. You are the bravest person I have ever known, I hope you know that." (Chapter 32) Is Lale right? Is Cilka brave, and were her acts of resistance the best course of action she had? What does Cilka feel guilty about or complicit in? How is she suffering because of it?
5. Could you imagine having the fortitude to survive one death sentence and then another? How do these two hells—the camp and the prison—compare? Were your perceptions challenged or expanded on what life in the Gulag was like after reading this book? In what ways?
6. What strategies does Cilka use to survive? Which ones does she teach the others, including Josie? How could her body be her ticket? What does she sacrifice in giving of her body but not her mind?
7. "Another number. Cilka subconsciously rubs her left arm; hidden under her clothing is her identity from that other place. How many times can one person be reduced, erased?" (Chapter 3) How would you answer Cilka here? What inner fire allows Cilka to live? How does she endure with so much death and suffering around her?
8. Does Cilka assume a protective role for the women in her hut? For her block at the camp? In what ways is Cilka a target for their rage and a focus for their hopes for life beyond the fencing? How does she help the women survive the toughest parts of their sentences (the rapes, work, injuries, separation)?
9. How do the women form a sisterhood or join in solidarity? Do you believe there is something universal about what they do? From snowy rescues to smuggled food—even Elena’s self-inflicted burn in order to get a message to Cilka—how do the women look out for one another? How is this essential for their survival?
10. Why do the women invest their time and scarce energies into "beautifying" the hut with their meager resources? What does this tell us about the human spirit?
11. How does Yelena help and advocate for Cilka? What chances and tests is Cilka given because of Yelena’s attentions? How does Cilka repay her faith and kindness? Also, why do you think Yelena would choose to serve in such a brutal place?
12. "She doesn’t dare hope that she has broken her curse. That she could have a role in helping new life come into the world, rather than overseeing death." (Chapter 12) In what ways is Cilka’s time served in the maternity ward a turning point? How does she intervene with her patients and make a difference? How does she put herself at risk?
13. Discuss Josie’s desperation regarding her baby Natia’s fate, and what lies ahead for them both after the two-year mark? How does Cilka ensure her safe transfer? What does Natia’s presence stir up for the others in the hut?
14. How would you describe a mother’s love? How does it manifest in the book?
15. How does Cilka find her calling with her ambulance work? How did she spur others to be their best selves? On the other hand, what sexist abuse did she face while performing such technical and important work?
16. Why does Cilka reject the comfort of the nurses’ quarters at first? In what ways is she seeking forgiveness?
17. How are Cilka and Alexandr joined together? How does she administer to him and what new hope does he offer for her future? What risks? Were you surprised by their reunion on the train platform?
18. The main oppressors in this novel are men—from the commanders and guards to her fellow prisoners—and their sense of menacing entitlement and acts of rape and cruelty shape the novel. Have things changed for women in times of both war and peace when it comes to their bodies and defining their own destinies? What can society do about it?
19. Why does Cilka ultimately tell her hut-mates about her experiences and actions at Auschwitz? How does she know the time is right?
20. Why are women’s voices of wartime so important to unearth and tell? What could be lost when they are unreported or under reported?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)