The All of It

by Jeannette Haien

Overview

“A quiet little stunner, written with the sure hand of an artist and the ear of a seasoned storyteller.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Jeannette Haien’s award-winning first novel relates the seemingly simple tale of a parishioner confiding in her priest, but the tangled confession brings secrets to light that provoke a moral quandary for not only the clergyman, but the reader as well. Perfect for readers of Claire Keegan.

While fishing in an Irish salmon stream one rainy morning, Father Declan de Loughry ponders the recent deathbed confession of his parishioner Kevin Dennehy. It seems Dennehy and his wife, Enda, had been quietly living a lie for fifty years. Yet the gravity of their deception doesn’t become clear to the good father until Enda shares the full tale of her suffering, finally confiding “the all of it.”

Haien’s intimate novel of conversations and dilemmas—perfect for readers of Paul Harding’s Tinkers, Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead, and Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood—is “an elegantly written, compact and often subtle tale of morality and passion that gives voice to an age-old concern in a fresh way” hails the New York Times Book Review. This special edition includes an introduction by Ann Patchett.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062090096
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/07/2011
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	108,118
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Jeannette Haien is the author of the acclaimed novel The All of It , winner of the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In addition to her career as a writer, Jeannette Haien is well known as a concert pianist and teacher. She and her husband, a lawyer, live in New York City and Connemara, Ireland.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One

Thomas Dunn, The head ghillie at the Castle, wasn't telling Father Declan anything he didn't already know: the river too high and wild from all the rains, and the salmon, therefore, not moving, just lying on the bottom, not showing themselves at all, and the midges terrible, and only the two days left to the season so of course all but the least desirable of the river-beats, number Four, was let already; "and Frank and Peter'll be ghillieing for the Americans stayin' at the Castle, Father, so I'll have to give you Seamus O'Conner and he's hardly worth the pay and that on top of the twenty pounds for the beat and you know yourself, Father, how beat Four is after a rainfall such as we've been having, the piers awash and the banks slippery as grease. If you'd given me a bit more notice, if I'd but known you had it in your mind to come for the day, I'd have-"

The long-distance connection was weak; that, and Thomas's nattering on and on, discouraging, all but took the last of Father Declan's heart. Still, he'd do it. "I know all you're telling me, Thomas, he bawled into the mouthpiece of the parish-house phone, "I know. But I'll take beat Four and Seamus O'Conner with it, though I don't need him."

"It's the rule, Father, the hard and fast rulea ghillie for every rod-not up to me, you know, but the Castle's."

"I know. So I'll be there at ten sharp in the morning, Thomas."

"If I'd but known, Father," Thomas began again, then started his coughing. "There's not a fish moving

"At ten then in the morning, Thomas.

"They're not moving, Father, I'm telling you. The water's too dirty and deep, they're just lyin' on the bottom,it'll not be worth it to you, the trip, gas and all, and no hope of a kill-"

"I'll not blame you, Thomas."

"So you'll be here tomorrow then, Father?"

"Yes, Thomas."

"It'll be good to see you, but I wouldn't want you to have your hopes up-"

"Don't worry about my hopes, Thomas."

"But as the day goes on, Father, if you change your mind about coming, just ring me back. I won't hold you to the cost of the beat."

"Thomas, listen: IT not change my mind, and I've a funeral Mass at eleven. That's an hour from now, if you've your watch on, so I can't go on talking now."

"Of course, Father."

"So goodbye, Thomas."

The All Of It. Copyright © by Jeannette Haien. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

Reading Group Guide

Plot Summary
The All of It is an exquisitely told story of sin and understanding. As a frustrated Father Declan de Loughry fishes for salmon in inclement Irish weather, he mulls over the events of the previous days. Four days ago, while performing the last rites on a dying husband, he learned that the couple was never married and, in fact, are brother and sister. In a breathless retelling, Enda, the sister, recounts their terribly abusive childhood at the hands of their drunken, widowed father. As Enda relates the gripping events surrounding her and her brother's act of incest, Father Declan finds himself mesmerized by both the tale and the teller. While Father Declan struggles with an unyielding river, he must negotiate between his priestly condemnation of incest and his own heart's desires toward Enda.

Topics for Discussion
1. Jeannette Haien frames Enda's "confession" with the story of Father Declan's day of fishing at the river. How does this framing device mirror, or contrast with, Enda's story? Father Declan tells Enda, "you've netted me with your telling." What analogies might be drawn between his struggles with an unruly river and her attempts at making him understand her past choices?

2. Enda goes to great lengths to insist that her retelling of her and her brother's youth does not constitute a confession. Why is she so insistent? Why might she not want to tell Father Declan her history in a confessional? Why does she persist in referring to Father Declan as her friend and not her priest?

3. Haien paints a very vivid picture of the weather. What role does the Irish climate play in both Enda's recounting and FatherDeclan's fishing trip?

4. Father Declan's opinion of both Enda and her past changes radically through the course of the novel. Did your opinion likewise change? What were some of the factors that contributed to your reassessment?

5. How does Haien use Enda's present day anguish to heighten the drama of her storytelling? What effect does Father Declan's rapt listening have on your own enjoyment of Enda's story?

About the Author: Jeannette Haien is the author of the acclaimed novel The All of It , winner of the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In addition to her career as a writer, Jeannette Haien is well known as a concert pianist and teacher. She and her husband, a lawyer, live in New York City and Connemara, Ireland.

Editorial Reviews

One of the year’s finest novels, a moral story of the most complex sort.” — Peter Prescott, Newsweek

“An elegantly written, compact and often subtle tale of morality and passion that gives voice to an age-old concern in a fresh way.” — New York Times Book Review

“Jeannette Haien is a writer of vast compassion, and her characters are rich in something all too rare these days: dignity.” — Newsday

“A quiet little stunner, written with the sure hand of an artist and the ear of a seasoned storyteller.” — St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“A beautiful miniature, written by an author with a love of language and a flair for storytelling.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer

From the Publisher

one of the year's finest novels, a moral story of the most complex sort. —Newsweek

Peter Prescott

Within this brief, artfully woven novel are two stories. Kevin and Enda have escaped from their mad father and found refuge in a tiny Irish village, where they live as man and wife. Fifty years later, Kevin's death impels Enda to confess to Father Declan, a world-weary priest who finds his escape in salmon fishing. The moral commitment of the couple, and their devotion to freedom and the natural life, remain in the priest's mind as he struggles through the intricacies of netting a salmon. Haien, an American pianist, entirely captures both the essence of life in the rural west of Ireland and the many shadings of the conflict between official morality and the private compromises we must make to live out our lives. A compact, lyrical gem; one wishes it were longer. Highly recommended. Shelley Cox, Special Collections, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

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