Academy Street

ACADEMY STREET

by Mary Costello

 

Nomination: Dublin Finalist 2016

 

Date Read: May 21, 2022

 

“We need, in love, to practice only one thing – letting go.”

 

Tess is a girl born in Ireland who loses her mother all too young. Raised by a stern father, she never experiences the kind of paternal love that she so desires. Realizing that a future in Ireland is limited, she moves to America and joins her sister Claire. Not long after arriving, she loses her sister.

 

Tess only briefly knows romantic love through the friend of a friend named David. They only meet through social events and never meet on their own or have a date. One night, after a wedding a drinking too much champagne, Tess’ inhibitions are sufficiently numbed as to make love with David, giving him her virginity. She does not realize in the moment that that will be the last time she sees him and that she is carrying his child.

 

Her son, Theo, becomes her entire world in addition to her job as a nurse. She lives her life for him, eschewing dating and romance to focus exclusively on her child. Upon reaching his teenage years, Tess realizes that not only is her son pulling away, which is normal, but that he resents and demeans her for her foreignness and lack of education. Knowledge comes easily to Theo, who excels at math and science, absorbing them in a preternatural way. As with all children, Theo eventually leaves her behind to attend college.

 

It is at this point, with an empty nest, that Tess acknowledges her loneliness. She begins to grasp that she will never have romantic love again or hold a child in her arms. She wonders if she has made the right choices in life. 

 

The ultimate letting go for Tess comes with the loss of her son. Theo is killed in the twin towers on 9/11, although his body is never found. Tess is destroyed. Her entire life has centered on letting go of people she loves but the ultimate test is this loss. How can a mother endure the loss of her only child?

 

In this dark and sad novel, Costello brilliantly describes a life that knows the highest highs and but too often the lowest lows. Motherhood, as described by Costello, is a rich and fulfilling adventure until her son comes to resent her. The exquisite language Costello uses to describe the beauty and the heart break is inspired. A gorgeous novel.

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