Time of the Child

Set in Faha, Ireland in the weeks leading up to Christmas 1962, the story begins when an infant is found abandoned. Doctor Troy and his daughter Ronnie, take the child in, and try to keep it a secret from the town.

What a wonderful novel of love and family and understanding and forgiveness. Williams populates Faha with a variety of characters from an elderly priest who is clearly descending into dementia, to the young boy who finds the child, and the various people that make up a community – tradesmen, farmers, shopkeepers, the ladies of the church, school children, and the new young priest who is finding his way. In this very Catholic community, there are expectations and rules of conduct. The doctor is a trusted person who has never show more steered them wrong before, so his and Ronnie’s behavior and secrecy of late is concerning to all.

I had not read anything by Williams before, but this will NOT be the last book by him that I read. He’s a marvelous storyteller, and he writes with vivid descriptions and intelligent character development.

I particularly loved this scene of the Christmas Eve service:
The main pews were filling by procession, families coming in at the pace at which people look at each other when they’re in their best clothes. Hats that only came out for Christmas, the red felt one, the blue one with nominal ostrich feather, the green with seven plastic cherries, and the brimless pillbox or what passed for that in Faha, sat atop women’s heads in milliner’s homage to the saviour of the world, the half-can of hairspray securing the foundations. Those scrubbed children who, by age or convenience, had the dispensation to stay up, moved up the aisle with a nun’s reverence and mimicked the manners of adults in the theatre of a midnight birth.” show less

Stunning on characterization--of people, place and time---but less so on story. Nothing moves fast in the Irish village of Faha, where rain is nearly constant, and a blue sky makes villagers lift their eyes in wonder. It's 1962, Christmas is coming, and local traditions are playing out. At the annual Christmas Fair, a young boy finds a baby behind the church, and believes it to be dead. With the help of two batchelor brothers he carries the child off to the home of Dr. Troy who revives her and then swears everyone involved to "Say nothing to anyone". From there, we watch as the doctor's daughter falls in love with the little one, and he himself schemes--ineptly and ill-advisedly, but always with love-- to avoid turning wee Noelle over show more to the authorities. Once immersed in the language and locale, it doesn't matter much to this reader that not a lot actually happens here. I enjoyed the read, but it did lack something I can't quite put my finger on, and left me mildly dissatisfied after I had loved This is Happiness by the same author. show less

Niall Williams has a style all his own. His prose reads like a storytale meandering from one thought to the next within the same sentence. Once I became accustomed to the rhythm of his narrative, I was all in. I have discovered that I enjoy the stories of the common person, told with reflection and insight so that the reader might enjoy the discovery of wisdom. This story takes place leading up to the 1962 Christmas holiday in a fictional Irish village. Williams treats us to the daily happenings in this small village on the coast in the south of Ireland. He uses an omniscient point of view to comment on the thoughts and actions of his flawed and loveable characters. Including folklore, religious doctrine and scientific research, show more Williams examines the health and well-being of the villagers as they face the challenges of changing societal norms. show less

The word love, said aloud, had the character of a swung thurible, the frankincense of it everywhere. from Time of the Child by Niall Williams

Days before Christmas, 1962, in a small Irish town, an infant is left behind on Fair Day when people fill the town with wares and animals for sale. The babe is discovered by a boy waiting in the dark for his father to leave the tavern. With the help of two men, they take the babe to the town doctor. The boy had seen death and knew the infant was dead. But Doctor Troy performed a miracle, breathing life into the infant. The doctor warned them to tell no one, and with his daughter Ronnie, keeps the infant alive through the night. The infant changes their lives in profound and joyful ways.

Spinster show more Ronnie has remained with her widowed father after her younger sister married and moved on with her life. She is content with her lot, loves the backwards town of Faha, the rain and the flooding river. But holding the babe fires a deep love she had never known. And it makes her father wonder if he did wrong, scaring off her suitors. He himself is heartbroken after the death of a women he loved in secret. Why does no one love my daughter, he wonders. He is determined that Ronnie keep the babe, which can only happen if she is married. He hatches a plan.

This is what happened in Faha over the Christmas of 1962, in what became known in the parish as the time of the child. from Time of the Child by Niall Williams

This is a lovely story, a Christmas miracle story. The narrative voice drew me in like a storyteller in a firelit room in December. Doctor Troy struggles with the big questions of human nature, the nature of God, and the power of human love.

The village and its inhabitants are beautifully described, the fair day’s sights and smells vivid, the variety of vendors and buyers who flood the streets and leave behind their detritus. It is a time of transition, some hovels still light by kerosene lanterns, televisions rare, doctors rarely called for but concerned neighbors suggest visits to the ailing.

All the complexities of living and dying are touched upon in this rich tale.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley. show less

Luminous prose, exuberant storytelling, what an absolute pleasure to read !
This book is a shining example of what happens when masterful language meets a compelling narrative. The prose glows with characterizations of people and place. Vivid imagery is pulling the reader into a world that feels emotionally authentic and deeply lived-in. The author has a remarkable gift for capturing the atmosphere of Faha, a small, fictional Irish village where nothing moves fast and it never stops raining.
Every page brims with warmth and a quiet reverence for the rhythms of rural life. It’s a story told with such heart and precision that the characters and setting linger long after the final page. A true delight from start to finish.

A delightful novel in which to immerse oneself. In the author's words, "“But storytellers skip the everyday, mistaking the ordinary for the dull, seizing on the sensational and leaving out the habitual that is in fact the fabric of life.”

Reading this work is like absorbing Ingmar Bergman's 1982 film, Fanny and Alexander. In both, the reader / viewer is invited to slow down and take in the setting. The point is not to frenetically move on, the point is stay awhile with the scene and marvel at its development.

The story that is told is also deeply moving, however, it is the in the telling of it that the beauty and craft of the author shines.

Time of the Child - Niall Williams
4 stars

This was a quiet story of another place in another time. The story takes place in Faha, a small Irish village in December of 1962. Williams makes it very clear that this remote village is lagging behind the rapidly changing 20th century. He references the first television set to arrive in town and the poorer outlining farms that are still without electricity. These are the conditions, along with small town traditions, that impact the medical practice of the aging Dr. Jack Troy. Niall Williams brought Fafa and its people alive for me. I felt like I could step into the town and know every individual by name.

Dr. Troy is already burdened with concerns for his patients, especially the deteriorating show more mental health of the parish priest. Troy is also worried about his eldest unmarried daughter’s future happiness as he struggles with his own loneliness, overwork and depression. This is where the story stands when an abandoned infant is brought to his front door.

Dr. Troy goes a bit off the rails trying to manage all of the lives under his care. The consequences are humorous without becoming comedic. The story is heartwarming, but not overly sentimental. I’ll definitely look for more books by this author. show less