The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

"Woe unto them that are with child."

The year is 1918. The world is in the throngs of a deadly flu pandemic, overcome by crippling death and despair. In Dublin, the country is doubly challenged by both the Great Flu and the World War. With most citizens occupied by one of these two hardships, the city has become, "...a great mouth holed with missing teeth." In a matter of extreme literary foresight, this is the world that author Emma Donoghue has chosen to set her latest novel. The Pull of the Stars sees Donoghue tackle the pandemic of 1918 in a novel that takes on an ever more poignant tone given the state of the COVID-19 pandemic that the world continues to grapple with today. Her works always resonate with me emotionally, but the parallels between this historical fiction and the real world make this particular novel all the more affecting.

We meet Julia as she approaches the stone facade of the hospital, mentally preparing herself for the daunting day that lies ahead. As a nurse who has also trained as a midwife, the twenty-nine-year-old has been assigned to the makeshift maternity ward specifically reserved for those expectant mothers who have contracted the flu. Julia enters the overstuffed room to see that the middle of the three hospital beds is empty. Another life was lost in the night. This is a new reality. Julia quietly makes a small scratch in the back of her pocket watch, a silent and permanent acknowledgment of the lost life. With hospital beds overflowing and hospital staff hard to come by, Julie knows two things. One, it will not take long for that empty bed to host the next woman. Two, she will be overseeing the care of this ward completely on her own.

"Patient first, hospital next, self last.

Julia is right on both accounts. The night nurse, a stern and disapproving nun from the local convent, informs Julia that she will be the sole nurse for the meager maternity room. Julia is quickly overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of her daily tasks. One patient is in and out of consciousness, struck by the absolute worst parts of this horrid illness. She is able to stop the fits long enough to vomit all over the floor, leaving Julia to tend to her patients while also completing janitorial duties. Relief comes in the form of Birdie, a young woman who has been plucked from the streets to assist in any way possible. Birdie has no training in nursing, let alone even the most primary understanding of basic human anatomy, but she is a welcome sight. Unprompted, she begins mopping the mess on the floor allowing Julia to tend to the patients uninterrupted. As if on cue, the orderlies bring another pregnant woman into the room, filling the last remaining bed.

From a plot perspective, that is pretty much the focus of The Pull of the Stars. We follow Julia as she makes her way through a couple of days in this hospital room. Women come and go, giving birth in between. Some are successful, bringing in new life amongst the despair of this plague. Others are tragic, a reminder that this life is not promised to us, even in birth. The cramped confines of this impromptu ward become a microcosm of the world at large. Just like those lives outside, Julia and the women in her care are forced to reckon with the mystery of life in a time of unparalleled adversity.

Emma Donoghue is known for placing her readers directly into the worlds that her novels are set within. We were all in that storage shed with Jack and his kidnapped mother in Donoghue's novel Room. In Akin, she transported us to the streets of France as an elderly man searched for answers to his family history. It comes as no surprise then that The Pull of the Stars plants us directly amongst the crowded beds of the hospital. We feel the joy, hope, and pain as Donoghue writes of every striking detail. The medical procedures are given as much credence as the emotional strife that happens in between. The characters soar off of the page, connecting on a level that only the most well-tuned authors are able to create. There is an innate intimacy that exists between a nurse and her patients, a trust that forms between two relative strangers. Donoghue invites us into that confidence, allowing us to experience all of the emotions that the women in that room do. This emotional prowess combines with the strange synchroneity of this historical novel mirroring the events of our present-day pandemic to make for a read that touches the reader on every level. We are only halfway through this eventful year, but The Pull of the Stars is already my favorite novel of the year.

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2020, 32)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 21, 2020 and is filed under ,,,,,,,,,. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.

33 Responses to “The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue”

  1. This sounds like a great read at any time but especially now - drawing parallels to our current events.

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    1. I think those parallels only make this more moving. We can all relate to what these characters are going through.

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  2. I've already got this one on my TBR list, but knowing it's your favorite book of the year so far makes me want to read it even more! :)

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  3. That says something if this has been your favorite read so far this year! So glad you enjoyed this so much. It's new to me but I definitely want to look it up more now.

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    1. Honestly I'm always a fan of Donoghue's writing, but this one was on a different level. The parallels to what is happening now certainly add to this.

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  4. This one sounds so interesting - and so timely. And the fact that it's your favorite of the year is really something! I'm so glad this one was such a hit for you!

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    1. It was pretty incredible. I actually think it would fall nicely into your tastes too!

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  5. I want to read this! Room was amazing

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    1. I highly recommend it! It is a very different novel from Room, but I think I actually prefer it.

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  6. Wow, what a timely story with everything going on. Sounds like it was easy to put yourself in Julia's shoes as she struggles to deal with all the difficulties. Sounds like an author I need to check out. Wonderful review, Ethan!

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    1. Thank you! I highly recommend you try out some of her writing. She's fantastic!

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  7. It's definitely a timely read, but it's also one i would have to be in very much the right frame of mind for. It also sounds emotionally draining.

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    1. It was emotionally trying, but also very satisfying and reaffirming if that makes any sense.

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  8. I haven't read it but it does sound good. I'm glad you liked it. Her job sounds so daunting.

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    1. It really made me feel for all of the healthcare workers facing the crisis today!

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  9. That is quite a combination of circumstances. Gotta be intense. Glad the author was able to elicit so many feelings from you and that some of them were good.

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  10. I need to branch out more into historical fiction and I love coming across authors who have the gift to take me there into a specific time and circumstance. It sounds great in a human drama. Enjoyed your thoughtful review, Ethan!

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    1. It really is great! Given the kind of books you usually read, I don't think this one would be too far off from your tastes.

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  11. Oh wow, favorite novel of the year so far? That's high praise! I really do want to read this. It sounds fascinating, and yet heartbreaking. It's certainly a weird time for it to be released, but also very apt. lol

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  12. Just finished this one and I really liked it. Of course I am a sucker for any hospital setting book, so this fit the bill nicely.

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    1. I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it!

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  13. I haven't read anything by Donoghue, but this one definitely sounds like one I'd like. Pandemic novels are always interesting to me, even when we're living in one!

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    1. I think you'd like this one too. I know you like to read a good thriller like me, so I'd also recommend Room!

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  14. I'm so curious about this book and I also "like" that there's a pandemic, I think everybody can relate with that now...

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  15. I've read several fictional books with the Great Flu but never one in a setting such as this. You've piqued my curiosity.

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    1. There's never been a more timely subject, and to set it in a hospital wing really brings it to another level.

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  16. Adding this to my list right now!

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