‘The Pull of the Stars’ by Emma Donoghue is set in 1918 as the end of the First World War is in sight. Although it does deal with many aspects of the war – the trauma of the front lines as well as the tragedies suffered on the home front – the novel is primarily focused on an altogether different kind of horror: the 1918 Flu pandemic. I’ve read many WW1 stories, poems, novels and plays and yet it’s quite rare to find one which offers a different perspective of that period, so I was instantly intrigued.
Set in Dublin, the action of the novel takes place over three days within the tiny confines of a makeshift maternity unit created to deal with those women suffering from ‘the grippe’. During those three days, Julie Power, a capable and compassionate nurse, supports these women as they struggle with the complications of the virus as well as their imminent labours. She is supported by Bridie, a likeable and surprisingly competent volunteer and the enigmatic Dr. Lynn, who is a Nationalist with ties to Sinn Féin. Dr Lynn is actually the only character in the novel who isn’t fictional, which I thought was really interesting.
The events of the novel are pretty shocking and, unsurprisingly, death and infant loss feature heavily. However, what I found to be most appalling, was the way in which the women that we meet are so worn down by poverty, malnutrition and endless child-bearing. The prospects of their babies are grim with their chances of survival beyond their first year being very low, which made me feel so uncomfortable and also so grateful for the health of my own babies. In this respect, the novel was thought-provoking and made me want to learn more about social injustice at this time.
I really enjoyed ‘The Pull of the Stars’, despite the fact that it ends with a fairly disappointing cliché. It’s still worth a read because the characters are interesting, the writing is really beautiful in places and the insight into that time period felt unique and definitely kept me engaged throughout.
