What do you think?
Rate this book
Hood
A tale of grief and lust, frustration and hilarity, death and family.
Penelope O’Grady and Cara Wall are risking disaster when, like teenagers in any intolerant time and place—here, a Dublin convent school in the late 1970s—they fall in love. Yet Cara, the free spirit, and Pen, the stoic, craft a bond so strong it seems as though nothing could sever it: not the bickering, not the secrets, not even Cara’s infidelities.
But thirteen years on, a car crash kills Cara and rips the lid off Pen’s world. Pen is still in the closet, teaching at her old school, living under the roof of Cara’s gentle father, who thinks of her as his daughter’s friend. How can she survive widowhood without even daring to claim the word? Over the course of one surreal week of bereavement, she is battered by memories that range from the humiliating, to the exalted, to the erotic, to the funny. It will take Pen all her intelligence and wit to sort through her tumultuous past with Cara, and all the nerve she can muster to start remaking her life.
Penelope O’Grady and Cara Wall are risking disaster when, like teenagers in any intolerant time and place—here, a Dublin convent school in the late 1970s—they fall in love. Yet Cara, the free spirit, and Pen, the stoic, craft a bond so strong it seems as though nothing could sever it: not the bickering, not the secrets, not even Cara’s infidelities.
But thirteen years on, a car crash kills Cara and rips the lid off Pen’s world. Pen is still in the closet, teaching at her old school, living under the roof of Cara’s gentle father, who thinks of her as his daughter’s friend. How can she survive widowhood without even daring to claim the word? Over the course of one surreal week of bereavement, she is battered by memories that range from the humiliating, to the exalted, to the erotic, to the funny. It will take Pen all her intelligence and wit to sort through her tumultuous past with Cara, and all the nerve she can muster to start remaking her life.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
260 people are currently reading
4823 people want to read
About the author
Emma Donoghue
77 books13.2k followersGrew up in Ireland, 20s in England doing a PhD in eighteenth-century literature, since then in Canada. Best known for my novel, film and play ROOM, also other contemporary and historical novels and short stories, non-fiction, theatre and middle-grade novels.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 309 reviews
October 12, 2010
Brilliant. This might be the best-written book I've read, certainly in a long while. Still, it might not be for everyone. It's about grief, and I'm a sucker for a good grief story. It tells a week in the life of Pen (Penelope) after the death of her lover Cara. Set in 1992 (and looking back from there) in Dublin, I couldn't help but wonder, had Cara survived, might their relationship be recognized today. Pen is a closeted teacher at a Catholic girls' school so there are layers and layers to her story. Cara is a free spirit but also closeted to her family. Their complex relationship is told as flashbacks, and, interestingly, the present is written in past tense and the flashbacks in present tense. Clever and I was never confused, except that the book begins with what turns out to be a flashback so I had a bit of trouble figuring out where we were beginning. I also liked that Pen is fat. It's not a big part of the story (no pun intended), but is mentioned occasionally and fittingly. There's a whole cast of 3D characters. Even the cat is interesting. There's nothing extraordinary about Pen. She's no mythical superhero like Aud. I think that helps her story to pierce so deeply. I talked about a lack of attachment for the characters in Wicked. Here, I didn't so much identify with Pen, I became her. Her story felt like it was happening to me. Remarkable. For me, this was flawlessly told.
February 17, 2016
"I had never noticed before that the official title of the ‘Lord have mercy’ prayer was the gracious phrase ‘Invitation to Sorrow’. Hey there, Sorrow, how’ve you been keeping? Come on in. If your bike doesn’t have lights you can always crash on our sofa tonight. Oh, so you’ll be staying a while, Sorrow? Planning to get to know me better? Grand, so. There’s tea in the pot."
Hood is my third foray into the works of Emma Donoghue. Neither of my two previous attempts to engage with her writing have been, what I would call, successful. It's not that her books did not make an impression on me, it's just that the impression I got from her writing strongly reminded of a caricature character of a feminist pop singer in Father Ted.
The reason I still read Hood was because I accidentally downloaded it onto the kindle. Oh, well.
To my surprise, Hood I actually was quite an interesting story of the closeted relationship between Pen and Cara, set in Dublin during the early 1990s.
I will not come as much of a spoiler if I say that the book deals with Pen's coming to terms with the end of this relationship and in the process finding herself.
In a lot of ways, Hood reminded me of Greene's The End of the Affair, and I was wondering a couple of times if Greene's classic had had any influence on Hood. In hindsight, I doubt there was an influence, tho. Where Greene's story focuses on a character who is obsessed with himself and projects this on his lost lover, Hood's story begins with a story of Pen's obsession with Cara and materialises into Pen finding confidence in herself by having to interact with the world around her as an individual rather than as part of a couple.
There were a couple of aspects that I thought were great to read in addition of Pen's story: One was the description of Pen's and Cara's relationship in the context of Ireland in the early 1990s, in which the presence of the Catholic Church seemed to be ubiquitous (which did not help my trying to shake off the Father Ted impression I have).
Donoghue's description of people being on their guard in public and fearing for their jobs if they lived outwardly in same-sex relationships created an atmosphere of pretty tense isolation.
"What seemed like hundreds of strangers were clustered by the door to commiserate with Mr Wall as we struggled out. He was introducing Kate to many who would remember her only as the dark girl, the one who went off to the States with her mother and never came back. I held back, not wanting to hear him fumble for a title for me."
By the end of the book however, I was not sure whether this description was a representation of the times or whether it was used more as a plot device. Without going into detail, the end of the book seemed to indicate that some of the isolation may have existed in Pen's perception more than in the community around her. But then, Pen's reality is her perception, isn't it.
The second aspect that I found interesting was the way in which Pen's perception changes. Again, without spoiling the plot, Pen's grieving process was pretty realistic. It was both funny and sad to see her go through it.
‘It’s a very long story.’ The words glided out of my mouth, surprising me. ‘I’ll tell you when the tea’s made.’ This birth is long overdue, mother. It’ll be a tight squeeze. You’d better open your arms to this screaming red bundle, because it’s the only one I’ll ever bring you. ‘Grand,’ she said. ‘I’ll open a packet of biscuits.’
While all of this was fascinating, I still can only say that as a whole I liked the book. But just that.
Despite the setting and the character development, there were also aspects I really did not care for.
The first one was that despite the strong background setting, I never got the feeling that the novel rose to a level of literary excellence. While reading, I always had the feeling that I accidentally picked up a clumsily written installment of a steamy pulp romance series. This didn't work for me. I should clarify that there is nothing amiss with a steamy pulp romance but it was not what I was looking for in Hood.
What annoyed me more about this than the clumsy writing, tho, was that it distracted from the issues that had been touched on and that could have been elaborated on - like the relationship with Pen's mother or Mr Wall, or Kate.
But no, instead, Pen suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, obsesses about someone she only just met ?
I just didn't get it.
Hood is my third foray into the works of Emma Donoghue. Neither of my two previous attempts to engage with her writing have been, what I would call, successful. It's not that her books did not make an impression on me, it's just that the impression I got from her writing strongly reminded of a caricature character of a feminist pop singer in Father Ted.
The reason I still read Hood was because I accidentally downloaded it onto the kindle. Oh, well.
To my surprise, Hood I actually was quite an interesting story of the closeted relationship between Pen and Cara, set in Dublin during the early 1990s.
I will not come as much of a spoiler if I say that the book deals with Pen's coming to terms with the end of this relationship and in the process finding herself.
In a lot of ways, Hood reminded me of Greene's The End of the Affair, and I was wondering a couple of times if Greene's classic had had any influence on Hood. In hindsight, I doubt there was an influence, tho. Where Greene's story focuses on a character who is obsessed with himself and projects this on his lost lover, Hood's story begins with a story of Pen's obsession with Cara and materialises into Pen finding confidence in herself by having to interact with the world around her as an individual rather than as part of a couple.
There were a couple of aspects that I thought were great to read in addition of Pen's story: One was the description of Pen's and Cara's relationship in the context of Ireland in the early 1990s, in which the presence of the Catholic Church seemed to be ubiquitous (which did not help my trying to shake off the Father Ted impression I have).
Donoghue's description of people being on their guard in public and fearing for their jobs if they lived outwardly in same-sex relationships created an atmosphere of pretty tense isolation.
"What seemed like hundreds of strangers were clustered by the door to commiserate with Mr Wall as we struggled out. He was introducing Kate to many who would remember her only as the dark girl, the one who went off to the States with her mother and never came back. I held back, not wanting to hear him fumble for a title for me."
By the end of the book however, I was not sure whether this description was a representation of the times or whether it was used more as a plot device. Without going into detail, the end of the book seemed to indicate that some of the isolation may have existed in Pen's perception more than in the community around her. But then, Pen's reality is her perception, isn't it.
The second aspect that I found interesting was the way in which Pen's perception changes. Again, without spoiling the plot, Pen's grieving process was pretty realistic. It was both funny and sad to see her go through it.
‘It’s a very long story.’ The words glided out of my mouth, surprising me. ‘I’ll tell you when the tea’s made.’ This birth is long overdue, mother. It’ll be a tight squeeze. You’d better open your arms to this screaming red bundle, because it’s the only one I’ll ever bring you. ‘Grand,’ she said. ‘I’ll open a packet of biscuits.’
While all of this was fascinating, I still can only say that as a whole I liked the book. But just that.
Despite the setting and the character development, there were also aspects I really did not care for.
The first one was that despite the strong background setting, I never got the feeling that the novel rose to a level of literary excellence. While reading, I always had the feeling that I accidentally picked up a clumsily written installment of a steamy pulp romance series. This didn't work for me. I should clarify that there is nothing amiss with a steamy pulp romance but it was not what I was looking for in Hood.
What annoyed me more about this than the clumsy writing, tho, was that it distracted from the issues that had been touched on and that could have been elaborated on - like the relationship with Pen's mother or Mr Wall, or Kate.
But no, instead, Pen suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, obsesses about someone she only just met ?
I just didn't get it.
February 14, 2016
I’m late coming to this second book of Emma Donoghue’s and am delighted to have found it. Pen’s partner, Cara, dies in a car crash on her way back from the airport. She has been on a holiday with friends, without Pen. Pen is left bereaved, the unacknowledged partner/lover of another woman. In the days before the funeral Pen recounts her 13 years with Cara, a relationship that began at school. In those years they do have months apart but Cara always returns. It is a truthful if flawed relationship of love, sex, devotion, tumult, forgiveness and reconciliation and a curious fidelity on Cara’s part.
Pen is faithful, comes over as almost motherly. Cara is odd, unique, flighty and irresistible. For the last four years they have lived with Cara’s father, appropriately named Mr Wall, a distantly loving man. It is left to the reader to work out if he knows about the girls’ relationship.
Cara’s sister, Kate, arrives from the US where she has lived since the age of 16 with her mother. Pen knew her at school and old feelings for her are re-awakened. I worried about the ending but didn’t need to. There are also some moments of wry humour.
Kate is a little too lightly drawn as is Mr Wall. Despite these minor quibbles Donoghue’s language is a joy. I read her words as I listen to a piece of music. A brilliant, insightful, sensitive writer.
Pen is faithful, comes over as almost motherly. Cara is odd, unique, flighty and irresistible. For the last four years they have lived with Cara’s father, appropriately named Mr Wall, a distantly loving man. It is left to the reader to work out if he knows about the girls’ relationship.
Cara’s sister, Kate, arrives from the US where she has lived since the age of 16 with her mother. Pen knew her at school and old feelings for her are re-awakened. I worried about the ending but didn’t need to. There are also some moments of wry humour.
Kate is a little too lightly drawn as is Mr Wall. Despite these minor quibbles Donoghue’s language is a joy. I read her words as I listen to a piece of music. A brilliant, insightful, sensitive writer.
November 9, 2022
A finely wrought and beautifully judged novel, exploring the seven days following the death of Penelope's partner, Cara. Set in Ireland of the early 1990s, Penelope, teaching in a convent school, is not out to anyone about her relationship with Cara, and is forced to navigate not only the loss of her beloved, but how to justify her grief to society at large. Using a mixture of flashbacks and and the intensity of the days following a loss, Donoghue celebrates Cara and her relationship with Penelope, and the particular loss of someone who dies at only 30. She creates a clear, convincing portrait of not only the difficulties of a queer relationship at this time, but its strength. This is also a profoundly tactile and erotic novel: Donoghue beautifully interweaves an intense sexual and sensual relationship with a romantic one, and shows how sex can deepen our understanding of one another and ourselves. This book is a brilliant example of writing about grief, sex and love, and is to be recommended.
January 30, 2019
Wow. This book completely blew me away. I bought it after loving Emma Donoghue's Room a few years back, but I kept putting it off thinking it sounded a little dreary/ wouldn't appeal to me. I was completely wrong.
This story follows Pen, who has been in an on again,off again relationship with Cara for 13 years. A few hours before the story begins, Cara dies in a traffic accident. The novel follows the first week of Pen's mourning as she grieves the loss of the love of her life (made especially hard by the fact that she and her lover had been in the closet to their friends and respective families. I wasn't expecting the grief to hit me so hard and I found myself devastated by the end of the first chapter. Luckily the emotional onslaught does reduce as time goes by
This is a 4.5 star book. It only lost half a point as I found it a bit long. Some of the sex scenes were also a bit descriptive for my liking but your mileage may vary on that one.
This story follows Pen, who has been in an on again,off again relationship with Cara for 13 years. A few hours before the story begins, Cara dies in a traffic accident. The novel follows the first week of Pen's mourning as she grieves the loss of the love of her life (made especially hard by the fact that she and her lover had been in the closet to their friends and respective families. I wasn't expecting the grief to hit me so hard and I found myself devastated by the end of the first chapter. Luckily the emotional onslaught does reduce as time goes by
This is a 4.5 star book. It only lost half a point as I found it a bit long. Some of the sex scenes were also a bit descriptive for my liking but your mileage may vary on that one.
May 23, 2008
I first came across this book in the library when as a high schooler I had to find lesbian books covert enough to check out without feeling guilty. I loved this book. I based a lot of my choices and goals in life on what I discovered in Hood. It is a wrenching story of personal grief, but told so eloquently that you feel empathy rather than pity. I've read it a number of times since, mostly at turning points in my relationship life, and it never ceases to be a point of hope for me.
July 18, 2007
Starting on Sunday when Pen finds out that her lover has suddenly died in a car accident the book chronicles the first 6 days of her grieving. The story traverses back and forth over the course of their 13-year relationship - from their days together as "sort-of-girlfriends" in an Irish convent school to their late 20-somethings living together as "fairly faithful" lovers in Dublin. The book reads beautifully - often feeling more like poetry than prose - and yet maintains a gritty, rough-around-the-edges feel. Amidst fleeting memories and awkward moments it captures the bittersweetness of loss.
March 28, 2012
I loved Donoghue's Room & Slammerkin, so I was excited to read Hood. The story is a week in the life of Pen, a 30 year old woman mourning the loss of her lover, Cara. This loss & its pain is further complicated by the fact that not only did Cara have other lovers (although she and Pen share a home--with Cara's father), but also that the reality of their relationship as partners, not simply best friends since high school, is not public knowledge, therefore Pen bears her grief, essentially as Cara's widow, alone.
Each chapter represents a day in the week following Cara's death & leads us through the beginning stages of Pen's grieving process. At the same time we are introduced to Cara's broken family & to Cara's tightly-knit lesbian community, as Pen tries to find her own place in this group of characters without Cara. Each scene set in the present week transitions to a flashback of the young couple's relationship in earlier years, fleshing them out beautifully.
I'm so amazed by Donoghue as a writer; everything I've read by her has been so unique--so many writers write about one thing, or even one time period or one type of person, over & over again (Hello, Picoult, Grisham, etc, etc, although, call me a book snob, but I don't really put them on the same level as Donoghue anyway). The three books I've read by Donoghue could not be more different from each other, in setting, character, plot, even the intensity levels of the action involved--her versatility seems to be to be unrivaled in most of the contemporary literature i've been reading lately.
Each chapter represents a day in the week following Cara's death & leads us through the beginning stages of Pen's grieving process. At the same time we are introduced to Cara's broken family & to Cara's tightly-knit lesbian community, as Pen tries to find her own place in this group of characters without Cara. Each scene set in the present week transitions to a flashback of the young couple's relationship in earlier years, fleshing them out beautifully.
I'm so amazed by Donoghue as a writer; everything I've read by her has been so unique--so many writers write about one thing, or even one time period or one type of person, over & over again (Hello, Picoult, Grisham, etc, etc, although, call me a book snob, but I don't really put them on the same level as Donoghue anyway). The three books I've read by Donoghue could not be more different from each other, in setting, character, plot, even the intensity levels of the action involved--her versatility seems to be to be unrivaled in most of the contemporary literature i've been reading lately.
October 15, 2008
one of the best books I've read in a long while, and my favorite of Emma Donoghue's. the book is so rich with the protagonist's inner life. I actually don't want to summarize it, because the discovery of the premise is one of the more well-crafted parts of the novel, but I will say this: it's a meditation on family, loss, confidence, truth-telling, and love. it's powerful and emotional, evocative and finely detailed. this goes on my lifetime top 10.
December 17, 2014
This is a remarkable piece of fiction! It's sad, it's funny, it's beautiful, it's raw . . . and Emma Donaghue's writing is superb!
The love story, for that's what it is, is complicated, crazy, deep, devastating . . . I don't have words!
You just have to read it yourself!
The love story, for that's what it is, is complicated, crazy, deep, devastating . . . I don't have words!
You just have to read it yourself!
July 29, 2025
I am only thirty, I will not spend the rest of my life mourning you . . . I could make up other stories. Don't kiss me until I'm asleep. Get your claws out of my hair.
A wonderful tale of grief, love, the complexity of human relationships, and the intrinsic loneliness of being closeted in a society that forces you to hide. Even though the little twists in the plot are somewhat predictable, Donoghue's prose is engaging and makes you want to keep reading all the time. It's a great read.
A wonderful tale of grief, love, the complexity of human relationships, and the intrinsic loneliness of being closeted in a society that forces you to hide. Even though the little twists in the plot are somewhat predictable, Donoghue's prose is engaging and makes you want to keep reading all the time. It's a great read.
March 30, 2025
"i realize that i always have something to prove. not to cara so much as to myself. if i am not to be her only lover, then i need to be convinced that i'm the best."
pen aka the most relatable character to ever exist???
pen aka the most relatable character to ever exist???
August 18, 2020
This is a book about grief. Nothing else, simply grief, which is never simple and we all feel it at some point. One of the few guarantees in life is that if you live long enough you will lose someone close to you.
The “Hood” of the title refers to the suffix we add to certain nouns to turn them into states of being; motherhood, fatherhood, widowhood, neighborhood, brotherhood, and sisterhood to name a few. Pen, our narrator is the left behind lover of Cara who dies, off page, unexpectedly in a taxi crash coming home from the airport after a trip. I always think death during or at the end of a vacation is doubly sad. Those you’ve left behind said goodbye, yes, but it was the temporary “have fun, I’ll miss you, wish I was coming” sort of goodbye. They’ve had the idea of welcoming you back to keep them going and it’s been snatched.
Pen and Cara live with Cara’s father who is seemingly oblivious to their true relationship. He thinks they are best mates. No one in either young ladies' family knows that the two are actually lovers and that seems even more tragic. Pen, who is a widow in every sense of the word, cannot wear the widowhood weeds. She is unable to grieve in a way appropriate for a lost lover. This not only intensifies her grief over the week that we are with her, but also undermines her sense of self.
This book touched my heart. Donoghue has such a way of conveying feeling that oozes from the page. She isn’t maudlin or purple in her prose, and yet the feelings are still heavy and made me stop reading and just look across the grass and count my blessings occasionally. Pen’s grief made me so very aware of the possibility of my own.
My favorite line was: “My eyes dawdled across the missalette. I had never noticed before that the official title of the ‘Lord have mercy’ prayer was the gracious phrase ‘Invitation to Sorrow’. Hey there, Sorrow, how’ve you been keeping? Come on in. If your bike doesn’t have lights you can always crash on our sofa tonight. Oh, so you’ll be staying a while, Sorrow? Planning to get to know me better? Grand, so. There’s tea in the pot. All”
It just slayed me. That’s the acceptance stage of grief on a page.
The “Hood” of the title refers to the suffix we add to certain nouns to turn them into states of being; motherhood, fatherhood, widowhood, neighborhood, brotherhood, and sisterhood to name a few. Pen, our narrator is the left behind lover of Cara who dies, off page, unexpectedly in a taxi crash coming home from the airport after a trip. I always think death during or at the end of a vacation is doubly sad. Those you’ve left behind said goodbye, yes, but it was the temporary “have fun, I’ll miss you, wish I was coming” sort of goodbye. They’ve had the idea of welcoming you back to keep them going and it’s been snatched.
Pen and Cara live with Cara’s father who is seemingly oblivious to their true relationship. He thinks they are best mates. No one in either young ladies' family knows that the two are actually lovers and that seems even more tragic. Pen, who is a widow in every sense of the word, cannot wear the widowhood weeds. She is unable to grieve in a way appropriate for a lost lover. This not only intensifies her grief over the week that we are with her, but also undermines her sense of self.
This book touched my heart. Donoghue has such a way of conveying feeling that oozes from the page. She isn’t maudlin or purple in her prose, and yet the feelings are still heavy and made me stop reading and just look across the grass and count my blessings occasionally. Pen’s grief made me so very aware of the possibility of my own.
My favorite line was: “My eyes dawdled across the missalette. I had never noticed before that the official title of the ‘Lord have mercy’ prayer was the gracious phrase ‘Invitation to Sorrow’. Hey there, Sorrow, how’ve you been keeping? Come on in. If your bike doesn’t have lights you can always crash on our sofa tonight. Oh, so you’ll be staying a while, Sorrow? Planning to get to know me better? Grand, so. There’s tea in the pot. All”
It just slayed me. That’s the acceptance stage of grief on a page.
April 4, 2014
I'm honestly not at all sure how I feel about this one. I found myself figuratively rolling my eyes quite a bit throughout. I felt entirely detached from the main character's struggle over her girlfriend's death due to the g/f being entirely unlikable. However, it's still an emotional and powerful read, not one I'll ever repeat, but I'm happy to have made it through.
October 11, 2022
This is a beautiful book.
I was worried when starting it that it would be too overwhelmingly sad, since it is about a woman in 1990s Ireland grieving the loss of the girlfriend she could never publicly acknowledge. However, while this IS a story about grief and loss - and the complicated emotions that come with loving a difficult person - it is also frequently funny. The flashbacks also get quite spicy at times, though the melancholy of the present timeline is apt to dampen the titillation for the reader as well as for Pen.
Penelope is an apt name for the main character, an introverted homebody who has spent 13 years hoping the beautiful, flighty, not-so-monogamous Cara will someday choose her alone. Of course, as members of the Amazon Attic collective that Cara often hung out with point out, Cara did love her: she invited Pen to move into her family home*, talked her up every chance she got, and always did come back as if tethered on a string. Conversely, when Pen finally talks to Cara's last fling:
"'Didn't you find her mystical?'...'Irresistible? Enduringly, erotically fascinating?' 'Nope.' 'Oh well, I must be the only one one then.' 'Afraid so...With all due respect, Pen, the woman was a nutcase.'"
Pen has some secrets of her own, of course.
*Where they've been living for four years, Pen for some reason assuming Cara's dad STILL doesn't know!
Pen is rather isolated at the start, having been living as if Cara is the only person she'd ever need in her life. So it is heartwarming as the story goes on to see her make connections with others and finally be able to cry. Robbie, a fellow teacher at the local Catholic school, wins the award for lovable "eejit":
"'So she knew all along?' I paused, the coffee at my lips, and stared at him. 'What, that she was a lesbian?'... 'Hang on a minute. You're telling me you've been having a thirteen-year affair with your housemate's father, and that she's a lesbian? Was,' he corrected himself automatically, then winced. I lifted a raspberry tart, concentrating on biting it neatly to stop myself from laughing. 'Let's take it from the top,' I mumbled."
The only thing I might complain of in this book is the tint of bi erasure. Pen is super-extra-bitter over Cara's liasons with men, and the other definitely-100%-a-lesbian character is a bit dismissive of a housemate who does the same, both clearly making the assumption that these women are temporarily pretending to be straight. And, yes, comphet is strong enough that some women who really are only attracted to other women will try to date men, at least for a while (in fact, the second character once got married before deciding that was a terrible idea). But some people really are attracted to more than one gender, and it is super annoying and invalidating to have both straight and gay people assume that that's not real! However, this tendency only shows up in like 3 paragraphs, they aren't presented as definitely being correct, and Pen in particular has been doing a lot of mental lashing-out because of her grief, so it didn't make me not like the book.
I was worried when starting it that it would be too overwhelmingly sad, since it is about a woman in 1990s Ireland grieving the loss of the girlfriend she could never publicly acknowledge. However, while this IS a story about grief and loss - and the complicated emotions that come with loving a difficult person - it is also frequently funny. The flashbacks also get quite spicy at times, though the melancholy of the present timeline is apt to dampen the titillation for the reader as well as for Pen.
Penelope is an apt name for the main character, an introverted homebody who has spent 13 years hoping the beautiful, flighty, not-so-monogamous Cara will someday choose her alone. Of course, as members of the Amazon Attic collective that Cara often hung out with point out, Cara did love her: she invited Pen to move into her family home*, talked her up every chance she got, and always did come back as if tethered on a string. Conversely, when Pen finally talks to Cara's last fling:
"'Didn't you find her mystical?'...'Irresistible? Enduringly, erotically fascinating?' 'Nope.' 'Oh well, I must be the only one one then.' 'Afraid so...With all due respect, Pen, the woman was a nutcase.'"
Pen has some secrets of her own, of course.
*Where they've been living for four years, Pen for some reason assuming Cara's dad STILL doesn't know!
Pen is rather isolated at the start, having been living as if Cara is the only person she'd ever need in her life. So it is heartwarming as the story goes on to see her make connections with others and finally be able to cry. Robbie, a fellow teacher at the local Catholic school, wins the award for lovable "eejit":
"'So she knew all along?' I paused, the coffee at my lips, and stared at him. 'What, that she was a lesbian?'... 'Hang on a minute. You're telling me you've been having a thirteen-year affair with your housemate's father, and that she's a lesbian? Was,' he corrected himself automatically, then winced. I lifted a raspberry tart, concentrating on biting it neatly to stop myself from laughing. 'Let's take it from the top,' I mumbled."
The only thing I might complain of in this book is the tint of bi erasure. Pen is super-extra-bitter over Cara's liasons with men, and the other definitely-100%-a-lesbian character is a bit dismissive of a housemate who does the same, both clearly making the assumption that these women are temporarily pretending to be straight. And, yes, comphet is strong enough that some women who really are only attracted to other women will try to date men, at least for a while (in fact, the second character once got married before deciding that was a terrible idea). But some people really are attracted to more than one gender, and it is super annoying and invalidating to have both straight and gay people assume that that's not real! However, this tendency only shows up in like 3 paragraphs, they aren't presented as definitely being correct, and Pen in particular has been doing a lot of mental lashing-out because of her grief, so it didn't make me not like the book.
March 13, 2015
I read this book as part of a challenge to read outside of my normal genres. It won the American Library Association’s Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Book Award for Literature so it fit one of the categories I needed to fill. It is the story of a young woman morning the sudden loss of her partner of the last 13 years. The story only takes place during one week, however, there are a great deal of flashbacks during that week. I thought that would make for a great love story but to me, it fell way short. Admittedly, the sex scenes were too detailed and uncomfortable so I found myself speed reading through most of them but I don’t think that affected my opinion. I think the author did a good job on the effects of the main character living in the closet with her job and family and thus having to mourn a best friend rather than a lover/spouse but missed many opportunities to show love and instead chose lust. She also seemed to prefer to cheapen the relationship with affairs by one of the women rather than have more romance. Overall, I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone but wish I had picked a better book.
January 7, 2016
Meh. The writing was mostly lovely as Donoghue generally is, but this is a very, overly-long meditation on the inanity of grief and as such it is often incredibly boring. Also there's a lot of really disgusting descriptions of sex (mileage will vary and all that, but I really didn't need the graphic descriptions of eating each others' period blood--blech) and a lot of boring housework described in minute detail and tons and tons and tons of eating, no matter how much the protagonist says she's not hungry. Not really my style.
January 13, 2012
Not my cup of tea....The story is about a woman who loses her partner (another woman) and the grieving process she goes through. I just couldn't find myself relating or buying into the realtionship these two woman had.
Read
June 20, 2018Na prvi pogled se čini da Penelopa i Kara ne mogu biti više različitije. Penelopa je praktična, stamena i ozbiljna elegantno popunjena predana irska katolkinja poreklom iz radničke klase koja radi kao učiteljica u katoličkoj ženskoj školi u Dablinu. Takođe je i 100% lezbijka. Sa druge strane, Kara je haotična, žgoljava feministička i građanska aktivistkinja iz srednje klase, avanturistkinja, globtroterka nestalnog duha i tela koja ne može dugo vremena da bude na istom mestu i da gaji ista osećanja prema istim ljudima. Takođe je i biseksualna, seksualno fluidna ili, jednostavno, seksualna osoba. Nije čudno što je autorka glavnoj junakinji dala ime Penelopa. Ovo je direktna aluzija na „Odiseju“ gde Penelopa simboliše jaku i posvećenu ženu koja, uprkos nedaćama, uporno čeka povratak voljene osobe.
Ipak, Penelopa i Kara su već trinaest godina u emotivnoj i fizičkoj vezi. Bilo je tu uspona i padova. Kara je odlazila, švrljala sa strane, ali se uvek nekako vraćala Penelopi koja je bila svojevrsna mirna luka njenih nemira.
Roman „Kapuljača“ Eme Donahju započinje Karinom iznenadnom smrću. Banalno je stradala u saobraćajnoj nesreći vraćajući se sa jednog od svojih putovanja. U romanu se opisuje sedam dana nakon nesreće prilikom kojih Penelopa prebira po sećanjima na osnovu kojih možemo da ispratimo njihovu ljubavnu priču od samog početka krajem sedamdesetih godina minulog veka pa do tragičnog kraja početkom devedesetih (roman je prvi put objavljen 1995. godine). Takođe, glavna junakinja mora da se suoči sa drugim ljudima i bolom u represivnom društvu koje nije mnogo tolerantno na ljubavi koje odudaraju od šablona. Bilo je to doba dok se Irci još uvek nisu oslobodili iz katoličkog ropstva. Nešto kao Srbija u 21. veku.
Ema Donahju je poznata po svom romanu „Soba“ na osnovu koga je snimljen istoimeni film. „Kapuljača“ je roman koji je manje dramatičan, ali ništa manje fantastičan. Nije tipično angažovani i aktivistički roman već je više klasična ljubavna priča između dve mlade osobe koje, otkrivajući ljubav i sve njene vidove, istovremeno otkrivaju kako da je sakriju i mimikrijskim trikovima prilagode represivnom društvu u kome su osuđene da žive.
Roman me je na trenutke podsetio i na film „Soba moga sina“ Nanija Moretija. A svi znaju šta mislim kada kažem Nani Moreti. Nema veće preporuke od te.
Ipak, Penelopa i Kara su već trinaest godina u emotivnoj i fizičkoj vezi. Bilo je tu uspona i padova. Kara je odlazila, švrljala sa strane, ali se uvek nekako vraćala Penelopi koja je bila svojevrsna mirna luka njenih nemira.
Roman „Kapuljača“ Eme Donahju započinje Karinom iznenadnom smrću. Banalno je stradala u saobraćajnoj nesreći vraćajući se sa jednog od svojih putovanja. U romanu se opisuje sedam dana nakon nesreće prilikom kojih Penelopa prebira po sećanjima na osnovu kojih možemo da ispratimo njihovu ljubavnu priču od samog početka krajem sedamdesetih godina minulog veka pa do tragičnog kraja početkom devedesetih (roman je prvi put objavljen 1995. godine). Takođe, glavna junakinja mora da se suoči sa drugim ljudima i bolom u represivnom društvu koje nije mnogo tolerantno na ljubavi koje odudaraju od šablona. Bilo je to doba dok se Irci još uvek nisu oslobodili iz katoličkog ropstva. Nešto kao Srbija u 21. veku.
Ema Donahju je poznata po svom romanu „Soba“ na osnovu koga je snimljen istoimeni film. „Kapuljača“ je roman koji je manje dramatičan, ali ništa manje fantastičan. Nije tipično angažovani i aktivistički roman već je više klasična ljubavna priča između dve mlade osobe koje, otkrivajući ljubav i sve njene vidove, istovremeno otkrivaju kako da je sakriju i mimikrijskim trikovima prilagode represivnom društvu u kome su osuđene da žive.
Roman me je na trenutke podsetio i na film „Soba moga sina“ Nanija Moretija. A svi znaju šta mislim kada kažem Nani Moreti. Nema veće preporuke od te.
September 11, 2023
Another heart wrenching Emma Donoghue book. I liked how Cara and Pen’s relationship was revealed through Pen’s memories in the week after Cara’s death, with the present written in past tense and her recollections written in present tense. The beautiful writing, Pen’s inability to fully grieve Cara as her partner, and Pen’s devotion to Cara despite her fickleness and infidelities made this book sad but good. Though I will say I’m glad I’m done because of the heavy subject and the characters who became more stereotypical and annoying towards the end.
August 20, 2017
Bu yazının orijinali zimlicious'ta yayınlandı.
Emma Donoghue ile ilk tanışmam, kitap kulübümüzle okuduğumuz ODA ile olmuştu. Kitap asabımı o kadar bozmuştu ki gecelerce kabus gördüm. Sırf bu yüzden bile Donoghue’dan çok etkilendim ve yazdığı her şeyi yalayıp yutmak istedim. Yazarın ikinci kitabı olan Hood, benim de okuduğum ikinci kitabı oldu. ODA kadar etkileyici olmasa da işlediği pek çok konu beni kalbimin tam ortasından vurduğu için yine epey bir etkilendim açıkçası…
Hood, 1990’ların başında Dublin’de geçen, Pen ve Cara isimli iki kızın herkesten saklamak zorunda kaldıkları ilişkisinin hikayesi. Cara’nın ölümünün sonrasında (ki bu spoiler olmuyor; kitabın arkasındaki özette de belirtiliyor) Pen’in geçmişe dönüşüne ve ileriye gitmeye çalışmasına tanık oluyoruz. Pen, daha okul günlerinden beri Cara’ya kafayı takmış durumda. Kızlar sonunda bir araya geliyorlar ama hem kendine, hem de dünyaya güvenmeyen Pen için Cara gibi özgür bir ruhla birlikte olmak çok da kolay değil. Hele ki Katolik bir okulda okudukları göz önünde bulundurulunca bu ilişki hakkında kolay olan hiçbir şey yok da diyebiliriz.
Pen’in içinde bulunduğu durumda olmayı hiç ama hiç istemezdim. Cara ile olan ilişkisini bilen insanlar sadece onlar gibi olan diğer kadınlar. Pen, Cara’nın babasının evinde yaşamasına rağmen Cara’nın ailesi Pen’i sadece arkadaşlarından biri olarak görüyor haliyle. Böyle bir durumda sevgilinizi, dünyanın öbür ucunda yaşayan kardeşinden daha iyi tanıdığınızı, nasıl daha iyi tanıdığınızı, neden ölümünün sizi bu derece paramparça ettiğini anlatamazsınız ki kimseye. Bir de tabii Cara’nın Pen’i aldatışları ortaya çıktığında, Pen’in “beni hiç sevdi mi?” diye kendini sorgulaması var ki o kısımlarda zaten içim iyice paramparça oldu.
Bir çok konuda Pen’i anladığımı düşünüyorum ancak karakter olarak hiç hoşlandığım bir kişilik olmadı kendisi. Obsesif kişiliğinin de etkisiyle, özellikle kitabın sonlarına doğru ağır saçmaladı gibi geldi bana ama takdir sizin tabii ki.
Emma Donoghue ile ilk tanışmam, kitap kulübümüzle okuduğumuz ODA ile olmuştu. Kitap asabımı o kadar bozmuştu ki gecelerce kabus gördüm. Sırf bu yüzden bile Donoghue’dan çok etkilendim ve yazdığı her şeyi yalayıp yutmak istedim. Yazarın ikinci kitabı olan Hood, benim de okuduğum ikinci kitabı oldu. ODA kadar etkileyici olmasa da işlediği pek çok konu beni kalbimin tam ortasından vurduğu için yine epey bir etkilendim açıkçası…
Hood, 1990’ların başında Dublin’de geçen, Pen ve Cara isimli iki kızın herkesten saklamak zorunda kaldıkları ilişkisinin hikayesi. Cara’nın ölümünün sonrasında (ki bu spoiler olmuyor; kitabın arkasındaki özette de belirtiliyor) Pen’in geçmişe dönüşüne ve ileriye gitmeye çalışmasına tanık oluyoruz. Pen, daha okul günlerinden beri Cara’ya kafayı takmış durumda. Kızlar sonunda bir araya geliyorlar ama hem kendine, hem de dünyaya güvenmeyen Pen için Cara gibi özgür bir ruhla birlikte olmak çok da kolay değil. Hele ki Katolik bir okulda okudukları göz önünde bulundurulunca bu ilişki hakkında kolay olan hiçbir şey yok da diyebiliriz.
Pen’in içinde bulunduğu durumda olmayı hiç ama hiç istemezdim. Cara ile olan ilişkisini bilen insanlar sadece onlar gibi olan diğer kadınlar. Pen, Cara’nın babasının evinde yaşamasına rağmen Cara’nın ailesi Pen’i sadece arkadaşlarından biri olarak görüyor haliyle. Böyle bir durumda sevgilinizi, dünyanın öbür ucunda yaşayan kardeşinden daha iyi tanıdığınızı, nasıl daha iyi tanıdığınızı, neden ölümünün sizi bu derece paramparça ettiğini anlatamazsınız ki kimseye. Bir de tabii Cara’nın Pen’i aldatışları ortaya çıktığında, Pen’in “beni hiç sevdi mi?” diye kendini sorgulaması var ki o kısımlarda zaten içim iyice paramparça oldu.
Bir çok konuda Pen’i anladığımı düşünüyorum ancak karakter olarak hiç hoşlandığım bir kişilik olmadı kendisi. Obsesif kişiliğinin de etkisiyle, özellikle kitabın sonlarına doğru ağır saçmaladı gibi geldi bana ama takdir sizin tabii ki.
February 1, 2014
This book is very complex, which I appreciate. It's not queer lit - it's about life as a closeted lesbian who's just lost her partner of thirteen years in a car accident, sure, but it's about friendship, family, and finding yourself when you're unexpectedly left alone.
I liked Pen a lot. I thought she was realistic, and had emotional depth. She was an interesting character, someone who I felt deeply for and who I could root for. She's quiet and unassuming in some ways, but very strong and feisty in others.
Who I didn't like was Cara. And, duh, that's the point, she's kind of awful, but Pen loves her anyway. And, obviously, I don't dispute that she was an extremely important person in Pen's life. But I felt very detached from her, and to some degree from their relationship because I really hated her. I don't know exactly what it was; normally I like a character who's not entirely sympathetic. But I just did not like Cara.
By contrast, I liked Kate a lot. Donoghue managed to make her complex, layered, and mysterious even though she didn't have very much "screen time", so to speak. I really enjoyed watching her relationship with Pen unfold; that was probably my favourite aspect of the book.
Actually, I really liked seeing how Pen interacted with everyone around her, how she found herself and related to other people without Cara. Her relationship with Mr. Wall was very touching, especially her revelation at the end. Robbie was great, but he was included to be great. And I really enjoyed how Pen related to Cara's friends, as well.
I'd definitely recommend this book; it was beautifully-written and emotionally and thematically complex. I think my issue with it is really my issue, judging by the fact that so many have enjoyed it - as I certainly did.
I liked Pen a lot. I thought she was realistic, and had emotional depth. She was an interesting character, someone who I felt deeply for and who I could root for. She's quiet and unassuming in some ways, but very strong and feisty in others.
Who I didn't like was Cara. And, duh, that's the point, she's kind of awful, but Pen loves her anyway. And, obviously, I don't dispute that she was an extremely important person in Pen's life. But I felt very detached from her, and to some degree from their relationship because I really hated her. I don't know exactly what it was; normally I like a character who's not entirely sympathetic. But I just did not like Cara.
By contrast, I liked Kate a lot. Donoghue managed to make her complex, layered, and mysterious even though she didn't have very much "screen time", so to speak. I really enjoyed watching her relationship with Pen unfold; that was probably my favourite aspect of the book.
Actually, I really liked seeing how Pen interacted with everyone around her, how she found herself and related to other people without Cara. Her relationship with Mr. Wall was very touching, especially her revelation at the end. Robbie was great, but he was included to be great. And I really enjoyed how Pen related to Cara's friends, as well.
I'd definitely recommend this book; it was beautifully-written and emotionally and thematically complex. I think my issue with it is really my issue, judging by the fact that so many have enjoyed it - as I certainly did.
January 10, 2013
How do you handle the days following the death of your lover of 13 years, when neither your family or her father know you're a couple?
In Hood, Pen has lost Cara, the woman she's loved since high school. While Pen was always faithful to Cara, Cara had many other lovers. For Pen, Cara was all she needed; for Cara, Pen was the sun she orbited and kept returning to.
Part of the reason this relationship worked is that Pen is disturbingly passive. Her and Cara remain closeted about their relationship, and the lack of courage here carries into other areas of her life. The story is a rewarding read of a couple working out how to be together – the heart of any romance – and what to do when you find yourself permanently apart from the person you love. The book's mood is melancholy – if it were music, it would be Bach's funeral dirges.
Many romances are about getting together, obstacles that separate the couple, and finally coming together again in the end. This book is romance from a different perspective - after the relationship is over, and not by either person's choice. I recommend it for people who are in love, as it will be a conversation starter on some hard topics, and people who dream of finding true love.
In Hood, Pen has lost Cara, the woman she's loved since high school. While Pen was always faithful to Cara, Cara had many other lovers. For Pen, Cara was all she needed; for Cara, Pen was the sun she orbited and kept returning to.
Part of the reason this relationship worked is that Pen is disturbingly passive. Her and Cara remain closeted about their relationship, and the lack of courage here carries into other areas of her life. The story is a rewarding read of a couple working out how to be together – the heart of any romance – and what to do when you find yourself permanently apart from the person you love. The book's mood is melancholy – if it were music, it would be Bach's funeral dirges.
Many romances are about getting together, obstacles that separate the couple, and finally coming together again in the end. This book is romance from a different perspective - after the relationship is over, and not by either person's choice. I recommend it for people who are in love, as it will be a conversation starter on some hard topics, and people who dream of finding true love.
April 26, 2013
This book made me feel as desperately and inconsolably sad as I felt as a teenager about, well, basically anything and everything. Donoghue's descriptions of Pen's surroundings, her actions, and her memories were so visceral I couldn't help but feel in tandem with the character experiencing them all. It was a rough couple of days, reading this one. The only thing that shocked me out of it--and out of putting it on my books-i-love-more-than-people shelf--was the passage about red wings. I'm not squeamish about much, but that'll do it. I'd still recommend it to everyone who likes a moving story, but sadly I will not be buried with it.
I loved Pen's voice. It was consistent, and often hilarious. She felt very real to me. The commentaries on lesbian society still stand, even though this book is set 20 years back in a city I've only briefly visited.
I picked this book up because I thought it was a young lesbian romance story and I recognized Donoghue's name as a talented author. I thought, "Finally! A lesbian romance with a high chance of having been written well!" I wasn't prepared for the dark subject matter, but the incredible writing did not allow me to stop once I'd started. Absolutely beautiful and compelling stuff. Definitely checking out her other books.
I loved Pen's voice. It was consistent, and often hilarious. She felt very real to me. The commentaries on lesbian society still stand, even though this book is set 20 years back in a city I've only briefly visited.
I picked this book up because I thought it was a young lesbian romance story and I recognized Donoghue's name as a talented author. I thought, "Finally! A lesbian romance with a high chance of having been written well!" I wasn't prepared for the dark subject matter, but the incredible writing did not allow me to stop once I'd started. Absolutely beautiful and compelling stuff. Definitely checking out her other books.
June 4, 2022
3 stars. Interesting plot but I really didn't like the characters nor the writing style. It just felt like a mess and the jump between time periods was so confusing and structured weirdly. I liked that it was so much about grief but the execution was so off. This was my first book by Donoghue and while it was nothing impressive I'd probably pick up something else by her.
December 3, 2007
I wrote a mini-thesis on this book in my post modern lesbian art class in college. it was The best class Ever, and i think it may be my favorite project ever, after my high school paper on As I Lay Dying. Anyway, everyone should read this book.
March 27, 2020
A tender, beautiful, quiet novel. The kinship with Woolf is strong here, and the prose is like tinsel. You want to sip this one slowly and finish it in a daze.
November 10, 2008
A water dripping faucet silent journey from a dark place into light.
February 16, 2021
Emma Donoghue has such a broad range, all her books are so different from each other that I never know what to expect...this one was particularly exquisite and very relatable (although I have never had a childhood sweetheart turn cheating live-in-lover or any of the other things that happen in the book).
Usually I get impatient with emotional meanderings in a book but even though objectively Pen's thoughts are messy, they were well written, constructed to be relevant and engaging and I felt I was crying and even bleeding in sympathy (probably that's just a coincidence of the calendar though) as I read it.
Pen and Cara have a very embodied sexuality, there are more body fluids in this book than anything other than a gory murder that I have ever read but it's portrayed as intimate not disgusting. The love in the book is luminescent and oddly resilient without being idealised. Love can be mothers, fathers, sisters, friends as much as lovers. I also loved the fact that Pen is unapologetically fat, her sometimes issues with her fatness come from society not herself. Pen's Catholicism too is robust and 3-dimensional not the stereotypical thing you usually get- she believes and she doesn't in various parts of the book, she's a little bit cynical but also a little bit sucked in...that was another link between her and me although my personality is honestly more like Cara (who I couldn't stand as I read).
Hood refers to everything from school uniforms to clitorises. There is also the state of being (widowhood, spinsterhood). It should seem contrived and silly but in the context of Pen's grief it does not come across that way.
Usually I give away my books as soon as I read them but I might hold onto this one for a while...
Usually I get impatient with emotional meanderings in a book but even though objectively Pen's thoughts are messy, they were well written, constructed to be relevant and engaging and I felt I was crying and even bleeding in sympathy (probably that's just a coincidence of the calendar though) as I read it.
Pen and Cara have a very embodied sexuality, there are more body fluids in this book than anything other than a gory murder that I have ever read but it's portrayed as intimate not disgusting. The love in the book is luminescent and oddly resilient without being idealised. Love can be mothers, fathers, sisters, friends as much as lovers. I also loved the fact that Pen is unapologetically fat, her sometimes issues with her fatness come from society not herself. Pen's Catholicism too is robust and 3-dimensional not the stereotypical thing you usually get- she believes and she doesn't in various parts of the book, she's a little bit cynical but also a little bit sucked in...that was another link between her and me although my personality is honestly more like Cara (who I couldn't stand as I read).
Hood refers to everything from school uniforms to clitorises. There is also the state of being (widowhood, spinsterhood). It should seem contrived and silly but in the context of Pen's grief it does not come across that way.
Usually I give away my books as soon as I read them but I might hold onto this one for a while...
October 21, 2024
I liked it a lot, but I like some of her other novels better
Some quotes that I liked or relate to:
"The more you give away, the more you've given away."
"Come back. All is forgiven.
No, scrap that. Nothing is forgiven"
"It's like the free milk cartons we used to get at school. Sometimes I want it and sometimes I don't want it, but it's just sitting there every morning, so sometimes I stamp on it."
(This one is insane bc it's about her girlfriend, as an explanation why she sleeps with other people)
"Our relationship was like a picture hung on a wall that needed to be adjusted a little every time you walked by."
Some quotes that I liked or relate to:
"The more you give away, the more you've given away."
"Come back. All is forgiven.
No, scrap that. Nothing is forgiven"
"It's like the free milk cartons we used to get at school. Sometimes I want it and sometimes I don't want it, but it's just sitting there every morning, so sometimes I stamp on it."
(This one is insane bc it's about her girlfriend, as an explanation why she sleeps with other people)
"Our relationship was like a picture hung on a wall that needed to be adjusted a little every time you walked by."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 309 reviews