The Illuminations

January 26, 2015
This empathetic novel from OâHagan (Our Fathers) revolves around a fictional, largely unknown photographer named Anne Quirk, and Luke, her grandson, who serves in the British Army. Anne suffers from dementia and lives in a retirement community. Luke is serving in Afghanistan, where he listens to death metal, gets stoned, and watches the war tear apart his mentor, Major Scullion. In her youth, Anne was a sharp woman, with a keen eye for beauty in the commonplace. Luke often reminisces on the moments they had together, and the ways she encouraged him to look closely at the world around him. When Luke was 12, she took him to Dunure Harbour, where âthey stood holding hands on the jetty, the wind pushing them back as they took great gulps of air. âBreathe, Luke!â she said. âYou canât argue with that! Fresh wind off the sea. Oh my. I wish I could catch it with the camera.âââ As Anneâs memory deteriorates, Luke seeks out details about her life and discovers a life marked by tragedy and self-deceit. OâHagan sympathetically dissects how falsehoods burrow into daily life; his story provides a deeply felt urge to look more closely at the world and those we love.