Tara Road - Binchy

I was certain I had read Maeve Binchy before, but none of her titles are ringing a bell. Maybe I’ve just heard her name so often I assumed I had read her. “Tara Road” is another library book sale book I picked up. As the author’s name would suggest, the book is set in Dublin, Ireland. “Tara Road” tells the story of a number of characters, interwoven throughout a twenty year period. The main focus is on Ria, whose marriage and friendships serve as the common denominator that connects the characters.

I could summarize the plot but so could you without ever reading the book. If I told you Ria meets a dashing, charming man who sweeps her off her feet in her 20’s, you could finish the sentence and the story by saying he probably betrays her and leaves her in her 40’s. If I said she is surrounded by several close friends and family members, you could probably peg their personalities, even if you didn’t know which belonged to whom. Surely there would be the friend who is married, too, but not as richly, not as romantically (her sister); of course there would be the friend who is always there in times of trouble, an extremely successful, independent icon of a woman who mysteriously never marries, a fact that leads us to easily realize she must be having an affair with Ria’s husband (Rosemary); there would have to be the cynic in her life (Ria’s mother) and the friend who is worse shape than she is and balances out the themes of unearned abundance and hard-earned poverty (Gertie). Perhaps you might even suggest a few minor characters to throw in, surely a mistress (or two) will come into play (Orla, Bernadette, even Polly); and some character must represent the sinister side of humanity, the side of greed and arrogance abundant in novels, (Barney).

Given the already overly-simplistic, idealistic plot line that a high school writing student might have drafted, it’s not hard to take the next step and dream up the conflict. Upon knowing that her husband has betrayed her, what will Ria do? Of course she will do something that both drastic and assertive (the contrary would be even worse reading), but also something that will demonstrate the strength of a woman and of friendships. Binchy introduces us at this point of the novel to Marilyn, an American, who through a very fast and barely thought-out negotiation, occurring at the perfect time, swaps houses with Ria for the summer. And it’s not hard at all to realize that Ria will find herself, her independence, her worth and her ability to support herself during this sojourn.

It’s a sweet, simple story of friendship. I guess I’m just looking for a plot that I can’t surmise on page 5. I can appreciate conflicts that I can relate to, or that are familiar to me, but it doesn’t make exciting reading material. In my mind, a book filled with stereotypical relationships doesn’t make a bestseller without a creative perspective, a unique plot or matchless depth and “Tara Road” lacks them all.

If you’re looking for an easy, summer, beach book, this might be one, if you can get it cheap. If you’re looking for something unique, something to remember for awhile, something that leaves a sweet taste in your mouth, this isn’t the book.