Long Island Summary, Characters and Themes

“Long Island” by Colm Tóibín, published in 2024, is a sequel to his acclaimed novel “Brooklyn.” Set over two decades after Eilis Lacey’s immigrant journey to America, the novel explores the complexities of her return to Ireland amidst personal turmoil. Eilis faces a crumbling marriage as her husband Tony is entangled in an affair that results in a child. 

Seeking solace, Eilis returns to her hometown of Enniscorthy, where old flames are reignited, and buried secrets resurface. Tóibín masterfully weaves a narrative of love, betrayal, and the search for identity across the landscapes of Ireland and America.

Summary

Eilis Lacey’s seemingly stable life in Long Island is shattered when an Irishman knocks on her door with shocking news: his wife is carrying her husband Tony’s child. Confused and devastated, Eilis confronts Tony, who confesses, leaving her determined not to raise the child. 

Fearing that Tony’s manipulative mother, Francesca, will bring the baby into their lives, Eilis seeks legal advice from Tony’s brother, Frank. He confirms that Francesca is already plotting to adopt and raise the child within the family, despite Eilis’s objections.

Amid this chaos, Eilis receives a letter from her aging mother back in Enniscorthy, Ireland, mentioning everyone in town except Jim Farrell, the man Eilis left behind when she emigrated to America. 

Overwhelmed, Eilis decides to return to Ireland, hoping to find guidance from her mother. She informs her teenage children, Larry and Rosella, about the situation, and they agree to join her later during the trip.

Back in Enniscorthy, Eilis reconnects with her former best friend, Nancy Sheridan, who now runs a chip shop. 

Unbeknownst to Eilis, Nancy is in a secret relationship with Jim Farrell, still carrying a torch for him after all these years. Nancy, conflicted over her future with Jim and her past, finds herself entangled in a web of lies, telling Eilis that Jim is seeing someone in Dublin.

Eilis’s return stirs old emotions in Jim, who has never fully recovered from her departure. 

They cross paths, and though their conversation is brief and guarded, the unspoken tension between them lingers. Jim, now in a secret relationship with Nancy, finds himself torn between his past with Eilis and his present with Nancy.

As Eilis navigates her complicated relationship with her mother, who remains critical and distant, she finds solace in solitary walks and quiet moments by the sea. 

Meanwhile, Nancy wrestles with her own doubts, even as she plans her future with Jim, envisioning a life away from Enniscorthy. Jim, however, remains conflicted, longing to reconnect with Eilis.

When Eilis and Jim finally spend time together, they acknowledge their unresolved feelings. Jim, willing to leave everything behind for her, suggests they reunite in America. 

But Eilis hesitates, torn between the life she built in America and the lingering ties to her past.

The situation comes to a head when Nancy, suspecting something is amiss, discovers Eilis and Jim together. 

Heartbroken and angry, Nancy preemptively announces her engagement to Jim, forcing his hand. Eilis, disillusioned, confronts Jim, who remains undecided, torn between two women and two possible futures.

In the end, Eilis faces a difficult choice as she prepares to leave Ireland once more, unsure of what the future holds for her, Jim, and the life she left behind.

Characters

Eilis Lacey

Eilis Lacey is the protagonist, and her character is marked by internal conflict and a search for identity. Now in her middle years, Eilis is caught between her past in Ireland and her present life in America.

Her return to Ireland is prompted by the crisis in her marriage, where her husband, Tony Fiorello, is expecting a child with another woman. Eilis’s refusal to raise the child highlights her desire for control over her life, as well as her resistance to being undermined by her husband’s family, particularly his manipulative mother, Francesca.

This situation forces Eilis to confront unresolved emotions, not just with Tony but also with her past, represented by Jim Farrell. Eilis’s interactions with her own mother reveal a strained relationship, fraught with unresolved tensions from her earlier life.

Her mother’s coldness and critical nature reflect the unresolved guilt and bitterness Eilis feels for leaving Ireland. Eilis is a woman torn between two worlds—her obligations in America and her deep-seated connections to Ireland, where unresolved romantic feelings for Jim Farrell resurface.

Her character arc is one of emotional complexity, as she grapples with love, loyalty, and the consequences of past choices.

Tony Fiorello

Tony Fiorello, Eilis’s husband, is depicted as a flawed character whose actions catalyze the novel’s central conflict. His affair and the resulting pregnancy create a rupture in his marriage, revealing his weaknesses and the precarious nature of his relationship with Eilis.

Despite his remorse and apologies, Tony is portrayed as somewhat passive, allowing his mother, Francesca, to manipulate the situation to her advantage. His failure to assert himself in the face of his mother’s machinations illustrates a lack of agency and perhaps a deeper insecurity.

Tony’s character is also marked by a sense of vulnerability, as seen in Eilis’s reluctance to confront him directly. This suggests a complex dynamic in their marriage where both parties are constrained by unspoken fears and unresolved tensions.

Tony’s character embodies the theme of betrayal and the fragility of relationships built on incomplete truths and unspoken conflicts.

Jim Farrell

Jim Farrell represents the path not taken by Eilis, a figure from her past who reappears as a potential source of emotional renewal. Jim is characterized by his long-standing feelings for Eilis, feelings that have lingered since their brief romance decades earlier.

His life has been marked by a sense of missed opportunities and unfulfilled desires. His relationship with Nancy Sheridan, Eilis’s former best friend, reflects a compromise rather than a true fulfillment of his romantic ideals.

Jim’s secret relationship with Nancy and his hesitation to commit fully to her signal his unresolved feelings for Eilis. These feelings are reignited upon her return to Enniscorthy.

His indecision and the emotional turmoil he experiences as he is torn between his loyalty to Nancy and his rekindled love for Eilis underscore the novel’s themes of regret and the complexities of love and commitment. Jim’s character is ultimately one of tragic longing, a man who has spent decades waiting for a second chance at happiness, only to find himself caught in a web of conflicting loyalties and desires.

Nancy Sheridan

Nancy Sheridan is a pivotal character whose life is also defined by compromise and hidden longings. Once Eilis’s best friend, Nancy has carved out a life for herself in Enniscorthy, running a chip shop converted from a market she once owned with her late husband.

Her secret relationship with Jim Farrell reveals her vulnerability and her desire for a fresh start. However, she hesitates to fully embrace this due to societal expectations and the upcoming wedding of her daughter.

Nancy’s character is marked by her pragmatism and her efforts to move on from her past, yet she is haunted by her knowledge of Jim’s unresolved feelings for Eilis. Her decision to announce her engagement to Jim, despite her awareness of his divided loyalties, speaks to her fear of losing him and her determination to secure a future that she can control.

Nancy’s character arc is one of quiet desperation and the painful recognition that love, for her, may always be entangled with loss and uncertainty.

Francesca Fiorello

Francesca Fiorello, Tony’s mother, is portrayed as a manipulative and controlling figure who plays a crucial role in the novel’s central conflict. She embodies the traditional, overbearing matriarch who seeks to maintain control over her family, even at the expense of others’ happiness.

Francesca’s actions in attempting to bring her son’s illegitimate child into the family, against Eilis’s wishes, illustrate her ability to normalize difficult situations and impose her will under the guise of keeping peace. Her interactions with Eilis are characterized by a subtle yet effective manipulation, where she feigns concern and support while actually working to undermine Eilis’s autonomy.

Francesca’s character represents the oppressive nature of familial expectations and the societal pressures that often force individuals, particularly women, into roles they do not wish to play. She is a master of subtle coercion, making her a formidable antagonist in Eilis’s struggle for independence.

Mrs. Lacey

Mrs. Lacey, Eilis’s mother, is depicted as a stern, critical figure who holds deep-seated grievances against her daughter for leaving Ireland. Her refusal to accept the gifts Eilis brings and her harsh attitude reflect the emotional distance between them, a distance rooted in Eilis’s departure to America years ago.

Mrs. Lacey’s coldness serves as a constant reminder to Eilis of the sacrifices she made and the relationships she left behind. However, when Eilis’s children arrive, Mrs. Lacey’s demeanor softens, suggesting a complexity in her character—she is not entirely unfeeling but is instead conflicted, torn between her pride and her love for her family.

Her eventual decision to travel to America with Eilis hints at her desire to mend their relationship. However, it also reveals her need to exert control over her daughter’s life, even as she faces her own mortality.

Mrs. Lacey represents the older generation’s struggle with change and the lingering effects of unresolved familial tensions.

Frank Fiorello

Frank Fiorello, Tony’s brother, plays a supporting role as Eilis’s lawyer and a confidant who provides her with crucial information about the family’s plans. Unlike his mother Francesca, Frank is portrayed as more pragmatic and somewhat sympathetic to Eilis’s predicament.

However, his loyalty ultimately lies with his family. His role in the novel underscores the complex dynamics within the Fiorello family, where loyalty and manipulation often go hand in hand.

Frank’s character highlights the theme of divided loyalties and the ways in which familial bonds can both support and constrain individual desires.

Larry and Rosella Fiorello

Larry and Rosella, Eilis and Tony’s children, are secondary characters who represent the next generation and the future that Eilis is trying to protect. Their reactions to the news about their father’s infidelity and their mother’s decision to return to Ireland reflect the innocence and vulnerability of youth caught in the crossfire of adult conflicts.

Larry’s interaction with his grandmother, where he inadvertently shares too much information, highlights the theme of communication and the unintended consequences that can arise from it. Rosella’s loyalty to her mother and her quickness to report her brother’s actions reveal the deep bond between mother and daughter, as well as the complexities of navigating familial relationships in times of crisis.

Together, Larry and Rosella embody the hope and uncertainty of the future, as their lives are shaped by the decisions and struggles of their parents.

Themes

Unresolved Desires and the Complexity of Choice

Colm Tóibín’s Long Island is an intricate exploration of the tension between unresolved desires and the complex choices they compel individuals to make. The novel delves into Eilis Lacey’s internal conflict, torn between her life in America and her rekindled feelings for Jim Farrell in Ireland.

Eilis’s emotional journey is marked by her struggle to reconcile her lingering affection for Jim with her sense of duty to her family, particularly in light of her husband Tony’s betrayal. This theme is further complicated by the presence of Nancy Sheridan, whose own unfulfilled desires with Jim create a parallel narrative of longing and deferred hope.

The novel examines how the characters’ deep-seated desires, often left unresolved for years, shape their decisions, leading to a series of choices that are as complex as they are painful. The tension between what the characters want and what they feel they must do creates a narrative where every choice is fraught with ambiguity, reflecting the intricate interplay between personal desire and moral obligation.

The Inescapability of the Past and Its Influence on the Present

Long Island is steeped in the theme of the inescapability of the past and its persistent influence on the present. Eilis’s return to Ireland is not merely a physical journey but a symbolic return to a past that she had hoped to leave behind.

Her interactions with Jim Farrell and Nancy Sheridan are haunted by the memories of choices made decades earlier. These choices continue to shape their current lives.

The novel suggests that the past, with its unresolved emotions and unfinished business, exerts a powerful influence on the present, dictating the characters’ actions and decisions. This theme is most evident in Eilis’s relationship with Jim, where the unresolved feelings from their past relationship complicate their present interactions, leading to a renewed but troubled connection.

The narrative implies that the past is not something that can be easily escaped or forgotten. Rather, it is an ever-present force that shapes the characters’ present realities and their future possibilities.

The Intersection of Gender, Power, and Control in Familial Structures

The novel critically examines the intersection of gender, power, and control within familial structures, particularly through the character of Francesca, Tony’s mother. Francesca’s manipulation of family dynamics, especially her attempt to control the future of Tony’s illegitimate child, highlights the complex power dynamics at play within the family.

Francesca embodies the traditional matriarchal figure who wields power subtly yet decisively, using her influence to shape the family’s decisions in a way that aligns with her own desires. Eilis, on the other hand, finds herself at odds with this power, struggling to assert her own agency within a structure that continually seeks to undermine her autonomy.

The novel portrays the family as a microcosm of broader societal power dynamics, where gender roles and expectations dictate who holds power and how it is exercised. Through Eilis’s battles with Francesca, Tóibín explores the ways in which women navigate and negotiate power within the confines of traditional familial roles, often at great personal cost.

The Moral Ambiguity of Love and Loyalty

Long Island navigates the murky waters of love and loyalty, presenting them as inherently ambiguous and often conflicting. Eilis’s feelings for Jim Farrell, despite being married to Tony, challenge conventional notions of marital loyalty.

Her emotional and physical attraction to Jim raises questions about the nature of love and whether it can be truly monogamous. The novel complicates this further by introducing Nancy Sheridan’s secret relationship with Jim, which adds another layer of moral ambiguity.

Nancy’s loyalty to her deceased husband and her daughter contrasts sharply with her hidden desires for a future with Jim. This highlights the conflicting demands of love and loyalty.

Tóibín does not offer easy answers but instead portrays these themes as deeply complex and intertwined. The novel suggests that love is not a simple matter of loyalty but a tangled web of emotions that can lead individuals to make choices that are neither entirely right nor entirely wrong.

The Fragmentation of Identity in the Context of Diaspora and Return

Eilis’s journey back to Ireland in Long Island is not only a return to her homeland but also a return to a fragmented identity shaped by her experiences of diaspora. Having built a life in America, Eilis embodies a dual identity—part American, part Irish—yet fully belonging to neither.

This fragmentation becomes apparent as she navigates her relationships and the expectations placed upon her in Enniscorthy. Her return forces her to confront the ways in which her identity has been shaped by her time in America, as well as the ways in which she is still perceived as an outsider in her own hometown.

The novel explores the complexities of identity for those who have lived between cultures. It shows how the experience of diaspora fragments one’s sense of self and complicates the notion of home.

Eilis’s struggle to reconcile these parts of her identity reflects the broader experience of immigrants who, despite their best efforts, find themselves perpetually caught between the world they left behind and the new world they inhabit.

The Corrosive Effects of Secrets and Lies on Personal and Social Relationships

Secrets and lies permeate the narrative of Long Island, serving as a corrosive force that undermines personal and social relationships. 

Eilis’s concealment of her marital problems, Jim’s secret relationship with Nancy, and Nancy’s own lies about her plans all contribute to a web of deception that strains the characters’ relationships and creates an atmosphere of mistrust.

Tóibín illustrates how secrets, when kept too long, can fester and destroy the very relationships they were meant to protect. 

The novel portrays the destructive impact of these secrets on the characters’ lives, leading to misunderstandings, broken trust, and ultimately, the unraveling of carefully maintained social facades.

The theme of secrets and lies underscores the precarious nature of human relationships. The truth, once revealed, has the power to heal or to irrevocably damage.

Through this theme, Tóibín explores the idea that honesty, though often painful, is essential for the health of personal and communal bonds.