Brooklyn

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Book Club Questions

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Background

Authorial Context: Colm Tóibín

Colm Tóibín was born on May 30, 1955, in Enniscorthy, County Wexford in Ireland. As the son of a schoolteacher, Tóibín took a great interest in literature and writing from an early age. After completing a degree at University College Dublin, he lived and taught English in Barcelona from 1975 to 1978. After his time in Spain, his writing career took off as he began writing travelogues, and his first novel reflects his passion for travel: “In Tóibín’s first novel, The South (1990), a female protagonist abandons her marriage and young son and embarks on a lifelong journey toward self-discovery” (Serafin, Steven R. “Colm Tóibín.” Britannica). This book shares some thematic interests with that of Brooklyn, in which the protagonist Eilis undergoes a journey of self-realization as she emigrates to America. She finds new confidence and independence in her new life, although she struggles with a split identity when she briefly returns to Ireland. Tóibín’s own experiences are reflected in the setting of Brooklyn as well, as Eilis comes from the same town he was born and raised in, Enniscorthy. Brooklyn is Tóibín’s most critically acclaimed novel, adapted for the screen in 2015 with a screenplay by Nick Hornby. The film was a success and earned three Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actress. In 2024, Tóibín published a sequel to Brooklyn titled Long Island, that follows Eilis 20 years after the events of Brooklyn, when Eilis discovers that Tony is having a child with another woman. Tóibín is also the author of The Testament of Mary (2012), Nora Webster (2014), and House of Names (2017).

Historical Context: Irish Immigrants in Brooklyn

While Irish immigration to the US is often associated with the potato famine of the 1840s, the 1950s post-WWII era represents another great wave of Irish immigration to the US and especially to New York. This wave of immigration was driven by the economic boom in post-war America as well as the strength of preexisting Irish communities in the city. The situation in Ireland at this time also contributed, as Ireland’s struggling, rural economy forced many Irish people to seek jobs elsewhere. Women were an important part of this wave of immigration. Eilis’s story is similar to those of many Irish women in her time, as many delayed marriage and used the Catholic Church to establish themselves: “By the mid-20th century, many Irish women—who also benefited from the ability to speak English—were working in supermarkets, utility companies, restaurants and, like Eilis, department stores [...] ‘[The Catholic Church] was an employment agency. It was the great transatlantic organization,’ Quinn says” (Begley, Sarah. “Brooklyn and the True History of Irish Immigrants in 1950s New York City.” Time, 4 Nov. 2015). Eilis’s connections with Father Flood and her job at Bartocci’s are both typical immigration experiences of her time. Even meeting Tony is common, as there were many marriages of Irish and Italian families at the time. The only uncommon part, however, is Eilis’s possible return to Enniscorthy, as it was rare for those who left Ireland for the US to return permanently.