The Letter Home, a novel by Rachael English takes place in the mid-1800s, toggling to 2019 Ireland and Massachusetts.
Bridget Markham has suffered many losses. Her father, a fisherman, died at sea. Years earlier, her brother sailed to America, but no one has heard from him nor know if he is still alive. Her mother dies during the potato famine, and her husband dies of a disease resulting from the famine. Shortly before her husband dies, Bridget gives birth to Norah, a precious daughter, whom she fiercely loves.
It’s hard to imagine the poverty and suffering of those days. Potato crops, an Irish staple, rotted in the fields along with other garden products. Herring fishing failed, pigs and hens were quickly consumed. People were starving, but received no help from England, Ireland’s “mother country.” Most people rented their tiny homes, often one-room shanties and, because they couldn’t pay rent, were evicted. Often, landlords burned down or dismantled the homes so the people couldn’t return.
Bridget, seeing no way to provide for her little daughter, realizes she must leave Ireland, but she couldn’t risk the health of the little girl who had become frail from lack of proper food. Seeing no other way, Bridget leaves her daughter with her sister and brother-in-law, who have faired reasonably well during the famine. The two sisters had never been close, so it is heart-breaking for Bridget.
The voyage from Ireland to America is miserable and many people die. Bridget becomes friends with another young woman, a widow and mother of a baby girl. Nearing Boston, the ship crashes into rocks and many people drown, including the baby’s mother. Concerned that the baby will be sent to an institution, Bridget assumes the care of the little girl, and also the identity of the baby’s mother. For them both to live, she must find work in this new, strange environment.
Switching to 2019 in Dublin, Jessie Daly helps an old friend research the events surrounding Ireland’s 1840s famine. They are drawn into the story of Bridget and her daughter Norah.
On the other side of the Atlantic, in Massachusetts, Kaitlin Wilson is researching her family tree. She knows some of the history of her Irish ancestors, that they left Ireland for Boston in the 19th century, but everything else is a mystery.
The Letter Home is a fascinating story of struggle and survival. The author, Rachael English, was born in England of Irish decent. I admire the author’s impeccable research, and found the story compelling, and the tragic facts surrounding the famine intriguing.