Colm Tóibín’s Long Island is the latest pick for Oprah Winfrey’s book club.
Tóibín’s novel, published Tuesday by Scribner, is a sequel to his critically acclaimed 2009 book Brooklyn, which told the story of Eilis Lacey, an Irish immigrant in 1950s New York who falls in love with Tony Fiorello, a plumber. Long Island takes place 20 years after Brooklyn, and follows now-married Ellis as her marriage is threatened by a shocking revelation. In a starred review, a Kirkus critic praised Long Island as “a moving portrait of rueful middle age and the failure to connect.”
Winfrey announced the novel’s selection on CBS Mornings with Tóibín by her side, who recalled getting the phone call from Winfrey about his book’s pick. After she introduced herself, Winfrey said, Tóibín paused and said, “Are you calling to ask about the eclipse?”
Asked what sets Long Island apart from other books, Winfrey said, “What I loved about it is that, first of all, it’s 294 pages, so you can read it quickly, and the story is so intriguing in that there is this yearning and longing for the love or the place or the being.…I was torn. In the beginning, I wanted one thing to happen, and by the end of the book, I wanted something else to happen.”
Tóibín discussed the novel’s ending, saying, “I always knew how it was going to end, but I realized the reader didn’t. So you have to go very, very slowly, so even five pages before the end you’re still not sure.…And bring the book down slowly, slowly.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
