Read This Book . . .

In 7th century Ireland, Artt, a scholar and a priest, arrives at a monastery looking for two monks to join him in a divine mission: Artt believes that God has told him to create a haven on an uninhabited island where he and his two companions can create a place devoted solely to copying manuscripts of the scriptures and focusing on heavenly things.

At the monastery, Artt chooses two monks to accompany him: Trian, a young monk barely into adulthood, and Cormac, an older man who was a builder and converted late in life. The three of them sail down the river and out into the sea, looking for the perfect place to settle. They find an island inhabited solely by nesting puffins and other seabirds. During the spring and summer, the three find ways to survive on the land. But Artt keeps insisting their time should be spent copying scripture, not satisfying their own needs. As winter looms, a very bedraggled Trian and Cormac are forced to wonder if their leader has actually led them to their inevitable demise.

To me, Haven read as if Lauren Groff’s Matrix had paired with Gary Paulsen’s The Hatchet. These three men are forced to make dwellings, find food, and create clothes with very little supplies to speak of, and Donoghue describes how they use the meager resources around them in great detail. I felt endlessly fascinated as they made torches from the oil of water birds and learned to cook the meager food they found on the island.

Donoghue possesses a deep understanding of her characters, each one of the men well-rounded and fleshed out. And as the tension rises between them, Trian and Cormac are forced to make some incredibly difficult decisions.