Friendship with its sense of belonging
Tulip Chowdhury celebrates a bonding in a tale
15 February 2008, 18:00 PM
A Circle of Friends
Maeve Binchy
Dell Publishing
Man cannot live alone. We live in society. The love and warmth of our friends and relatives are essential to our living a happy, peaceful life.
" The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship." It was William Blake who said it. And indeed, A Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy is a testament to this saying. The wordmaster not only weaves sizzling plots to keep the reader on toes but builds characters that seem to voice the very thoughts and dreams of that reader as well. While reading the book one has a feeling of spending time in the company of loving friends and well-wishers. The love and laughter inject joy into the heart as one reads the novel.
The opening chapter of the book begins with the protagonists Benny Hogan and Eve Malone busy with their life in the quiet Irish countryside of Knockglen. Benny lives with her over-protective parents. Eve, an orphan, grows up in a convent with nuns. The beginning of the book focuses on Benny and Eve's school life in Knockglen but the story soon moves on to their school life in Dublin. Eve moves to Dublin but Benny's parents refuse to send her so far away from home.
Benny finds a new life as she journeys back and forth between Knockglen and Dublin. She meets new people in Dublin. There is Nan who is smart and ambitious. Benny is a rather large over-weight young woman who is self-conscious, whereas Nan, coming from a humble family, is beautiful. She is a young woman with perfect manners determined to make it to the top rung of society. Eve is small and dark. She is tormented by her grandfather who had a long time back abandoned her mother for marrying into a lower class. The three girls are bound in a lasting friendship. Eve tries to establish her rights over family properties left by her mother. In the process, she meets her cousin Heather and is very much drawn to her. However, her grandfather is there to stand as a barrier in any kind of reunion with the daughter of his abandoned child. Benny stands by her friend as Eve struggles to put her head up in society.
Benny meets the handsome Jack Foley, the son of a local doctor. She falls in love with him on their first meeting. She has doubts that Jack can fall for a girl like her with somebody as beautiful as Nan hovering around. Eve has Aidan, a handsome young man and a good- hearted soul, beside her as she goes through the struggles of her life. On the other hand, Nan is determined to catch Simon Westward, the son of the squire. All the three girls have other friends who surround them in times of joy and sorrow. There is Sister Claire who is there like a mother for Eve. Sister Claire has all the warmth of her heart for Eve, who lost her mother at childbirth. There is Kitty who faces the tragic death of her teenage son Frank. Benny and Eve happened to be there at the scene of the horrific motorbike accident that kills Kitty's son. Kitty decides to live with Eve as if to find some consolation in her company. There are Fonsie and Clodagh , two friends who dress like punks but have hearts of gold. Benny and Eve are two rare friends Fonsie and Clodagh can always count on. Bill Dunne and Johnny, two boys from Benny's school, are two friends that Benny can count on in all kinds of troubles. On the other hand, the two boys respect her for what she is: a gem of a girl with the heart of a saint.
Life has its ups and downs. The three friends, Nan, Benny and Eve soon find themselves entangled in the riddles of life. Jack starts dating Benny. Benny is happy and yet she is not certain if it is a passing phase or it is the real thing. She is sometimes confused and troubled. If Jack misses a date she forgives him easily when he gives out the reasons. She wants to believe that he really loves her. She wonders how she can be sure. There are friends to turn to when one is in trouble. But in matters of the heart? How does one find the truth? Things become complicated when Nan finds herself burdened with an unwanted pregnancy. However close the girls have been, Nan refuses to disclose the name of the father. There comes the sudden and sad demise of Benny's father. It throws Benny and her mother Isabelle into a deep void. They emerge out of their sad turn of fate with the help of the friends who stand by them. However, after Nan's pregnancy is confirmed and the father remains anonymous Benny and Eve realise that human nature is very complex indeed. All of a sudden Nan seems to become a stranger. The friends are threatened with disparity. There the climax of the story comes with its breathtaking suspense. The reader's interest is aroused. The book cannot be put down until the ending comes with a sublime blending in of all the characters. There are surprising twists and turns that make the reader stop and re-read the last pages to ascertain the existing facts and enjoy the story.
All these friends make up a circle of friends who thrive in the society of the small countryside of Knockglen. Their sharing of life unfolds into interesting stories that certainly justify the title of the book. The characters have real life antecedents. This is one of the savviest stories of people sharing life in a small community that holds life in its richest form. As always, there is a huge cast of characters in this Maeve Binchey novel. The plot twists get resolved at the end. The book carries the reader back and forth between Dublin and Knockglen with subplots to keep the reader wondering what will come next. The book's main emphasis is on friendship, loyalty and betrayal. The characters in the story are unpretentious, believable and strong and their presence seems to linger long after the novel ends. Its period details are fresh and contemporary in style. The novel has the reader completely absorbed with its characters that seem to be a circle of friends for the reader as well. A highly recommended read.
Tulip Chowdhury is a teacher, poet and short story writer.
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