The Cold Eye of Heaven by Christine Dwyer Hickey
The Cold Eye of Heaven is the sixth novel by Irish author Christine Dwyer Hickey. She made her name with a ‘Dublin trilogy’ in the 1990s (The Dancer, The Gambler and The Gatemaker).
Tatty (2004) was nominated for the Orange Prize, while Last Train From Liguria (2009) was described as ‘a powerfully accomplished work of art’ in The Guardian.
The story begins on a snowy morning in January 2010, as a 75 year-old man awakes after falling onto his bathroom floor the previous night. Alone and frozen to the spot, his mind begins to wander. The previous day, he had attended the funeral of his former boss.
Over the following chapters, Charlie ‘Farley’ Grainger revisits moments from decades past. There is a long, brilliant scene recreating his retirement party ten years before.
Drunken mishaps, a desultory payoff, things left unsaid – all the usual elements, but rendered afresh with a keen ear for dialogue, sharp observation and a sense of the absurd.
Most of his working life has been spent with Frank Slowey, head of a small firm, operating at the less glamorous end of the legal system.
In one chapter, set in 1990, we follow Farley on a drive across Dublin, delivering summonses to threadbare housing estates and the leafier suburbs.
Slowey is one of two people whose impact on Farley’s life is felt even in their absence. However, Slowey remains something of an enigma. Even the most profound exchanges between Dwyer Hickey’s characters are tinged with doubt and alienation.
Similarly, Farley’s wife, Martina, appears only twice in the novel, but she is rarely far from his thoughts. There’s nothing intangible about her – even in their courting days, she took charge – but Farley is tormented by guilt over her death. Betrayal is a recurring theme, and Farley, like most of us, has experienced both sides.
Perhaps Farley’s most enduring love affair is with Dublin, his hometown. ‘To be living in the centre of town – it could open up your life,’ he muses, adding, ‘The suburbs is no place for a man.’ The city is present in his rich vein of dark humour, and the small details that fill the narrative.
With its epic scope and mythic structure, The Cold Eye of Heaven is likely to attract further plaudits for Christine Dwyer Hickey. But while it is tempting to cast Farley as a kind of ‘Everyman’, the real strengths of his tale lie in its dogged individuality.
The Cold Eye of Heaven is published by Atlantic Books. Buy it from September 1st, on Kindle for £6.39 or in hardback for £12.74.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended for: Readers of Irish literary fiction.
Other recommended reading: Anne Enright’s The Gathering; Deirdre Madden’s One by One in the Darkness; or Amongst Women by John McGahern.
Tara Hanks
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