THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 17, 1996 TAG: 9601160026
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Book Review
SOURCE: BY BRITT RENO
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
NEIL JORDAN'S ``Nightlines'' (Random House, 194 pp., $21) is a simple Irish tale of universal proportions, set against the backdrop of World War II. Addressing the common themes of family, love and betrayal in uncommon times, author and filmmaker Jordan (``The Crying Game,'' ``Interview With the Vampire'') reveals the interplay of history and human nature.
Donal Gore, a young rebellious Irishman, sits in a Madrid prison during the Spanish Civil War. Despite Ireland's neutrality in World War II and its isolation from the events in Europe, Gore finds himself in the middle of the chaos and mayhem, supporting the anti-Fascist movement. He has come to Spain primarily to anger and defy his father, an Irish politician, and to escape the pain of love lost.
In prison, Gore witnesses the brutality of war as his fellow prisoners are summarily executed. Between the gunshots and Latin prayers of the attending priest, Gore conjures the past events and passages that have brought him to his hell on Earth.
He lost his mother to illness when he was young. This toughened and further distanced him from his father.Gore and his father will relate only after putting aside words and connecting through their common past - their connection to the sea and their tradition of laying ``nightlines,'' lines of hooks strung between two poles at low tide to snare the catch when the tide comes in overnight.
The death of Gore's mother leaves a large hole in the household. Ten years later Rose, a young piano teacher, enters their desires. Father and son each court her in his own way. Rose responds to both, but ultimately chooses the father. Her acceptance of his father's proposal drives Gore away. Newly rehardened, he continues on a political path he knows will hurt and even destroy his father.
Through intervention from a connection at home and an unexpected alliance with an intellectual Nazi, Gore is released from prison. He returns to find his world turned upside-down: Father is child, son is provider, lover is mother, enemies are allies and friends are adversaries.
Only the sea is unchanged and Gore returns to it for strength and support, stretching his nightlines in preparation for the incoming tide.
But Gore is a product of his times and his temperament. The schisms in Ireland reflect the factions at war in Europe. In this microcosm, Gore is swept up by current politics and past choices. He fatalistically accepts his lot and turns to personal and patriotic betrayal.
Jordan's novel is like an epic poem, encompassing the strength and healing power of nature, the rich mysticism of Celtic myth, the Oedipal triangle of Greek myth, and the notions of sin and forgiveness.
``Nightlines'' evokes the uncertainty of wartime, when amoral actions are justified by abstract ideologies such as nationalism and patriotism. In times like this it is difficult to be good, to be a hero. Gore is a man, pushed about by the changing tides. He does not earn our respect and admiration, but, as a fellow man, he has our sympathy and understanding. MEMO: Britt Reno is a photographer and film editor who lives in Alexandria.
by CNB