Haven: A Review

Haven by Emma Donoghue

Haven is an ominous survival novel by Emma Donoghue, the same talented author that brought you Room and The Wonder. The story follows Prior Artt who receives a vision from God guiding him to start a monastic retreat on an Irish island. Accompanied by two monks, Cormac and Trian, the trio touches down on Skellig Michael, a sharp and jagged peak, like a finger pointed towards the heavens. But building a holy settlement on an inhospitable isle proves to be exceedingly challenging. And as time goes on and the hardships pile up, the monks’ very existence grows increasingly tenuous.

I had mixed feelings about Haven throughout, alternating between boredom at the monotony of the monks’ daily lives and a prickling anxiety that reached a fever pitch towards the novel’s conclusion. It’s worth noting that I struggled with the overly graphic descriptions of animal hunting which made my stomach churn. I also got the impression that there was an element of thinly veiled criticism of the Catholic Church and possibly religion as a whole. While I was not personally offended by this, it may irk other readers.

In less capable hands I’m not convinced that the story would have worked, but Emma Donoghue is queen of her craft and pulls it off with aplomb. This book is truly resplendent when it’s unearthing the secret psychological yearnings of the characters and their raw and captivating inner monologues. Like Icarus who flies too close to the sun, Haven highlights the human foible of hubris in all its glory. And how the relentless pursuit of perfection is inevitably doomed to unhappiness.

Haven is a gritty and thought provoking novel that continues to live on in my head rent free. Readers who enjoy edgy ‘survival of the fittest’ historical fiction- think an episode of ‘Lost’ on a much smaller scale- will lap this right up. Buckle up for a claustrophobic and unsettling tale that will leave you haunted.