What is an Authoritarian Government Against a Resilient Mother?
Lynch’s Prophet Song is an essential read given the present time of racial conflicts, virtual censorship, and Western indifference. I absolutely loved taking my time reading this book; the book requires you to take a breather after concluding each chapter. It forces you to recognize the themes in the book and draw parallels with the reality of our more recent history, that is, the migrant crisis as a result of ongoing warfare (and genocide) in different parts of the world.
Prophet Song follows Eilish Stack, a resilient mother who protects her children as Ireland’s leadership transforms into an authoritarian rule. The narrative may throw some people off as it is composed of no paragraph breaks. However, don’t let this deter you from picking up or even finishing the novel. I believe this was done intelligently especially considering the book is a dystopian (historical) fiction. Historical facts and figures are often composed in dense paragraphs. The dialogues become easy to distinguish as Lynch employs the use of commas as a sign of a period if the character continues with their speech, and the use of periods marks the next character’s dialogue.
Upon picking the book, I had my doubts if I would really like a narrative with no paragraph breaks, but Lynch’s prose is gentle and fluid. It takes us from a police interrogation room to a family living room — a stark contrast between insecurity and safety. This is seen across the novel — home is a physical and emotional safe haven as the world outside rages on. And when the world disguised as law enforcements and thugs appear at the Stack doorstep, the unsteadiness of this barrier between what is safe and what is not is suddenly and severely felt.
I liked how the story focuses on a mother, who is determined to save her children from all kinds of harms. I think it’s important to note that Eilish tries her absolute best for her children, and her failure to meet some of the biggest decisions she makes for her family only reflects that she is human. No one is certain what may or may not happen in the future. We carry our actions that seem appropriate in the present moment, which could impact our lives in a negative or a positive way.
This is particularly important given the recent world events where violence and conflicts divide people into three: one in favor of such assault and the other against and those that abstain. Lynch’s statement of comparing the Irish totalitarianism in his novel to the more real Syrian Civil War is such a perceptive and somber analogy. Instead of critiquing the book for simply substituting the races, it should be explored more why it was done so.
I find this replacement of characters with a browner tone to a whiter skin tone with blue eyes both clever and unfortunate. Fiction generates emotions in people; it helps people empathize with the characters and their situation. The rightist ideology and their indifference don’t allow them to perceive the pain of the Other or even consider them as equal as them. So, with Lynch’s book, I feel he indirectly questions the reader — particularly the conservative reader — “what if this was you?” This would shake and stun the reader because now they would compare themselves to the characters’ situation and witness their horrors. And this is the unfortunate reality of the modern times. Unless it doesn’t happen to you or affect you in any way, it should be of no concern to you.
Seeing things from different perspectives matters. Reading stories and listening to accounts of different people matter. If you turn blind eye to things (or people) you don’t like, you’re bound to stray in the path of indifference and hatred. So, listen. Empathize. If there is something you don’t agree with, that’s okay; just don’t silence the people and their position. If the thing you don’t agree with has severe impact on a global scale, then educate yourself to stand on the right side of the history.
Prophet Song is a book of determination and endurance despite the hopelessness looming all over. It is a book that makes you not only question but also makes you feel and reflect deeply. I will most definitely return to Lynch’s novel in the future. Hopefully, a future of reigning peace and justice. I highly recommend you read this book now, especially considering the ongoing assault in Gaza and Ukraine, and how it is resulting in displacement and migration of the Palestinians and Ukrainians. As Eilish and her remaining children prepare to cross the sea, she reminds them that “the sea is life” — a sign of rebirth, of possible futures, and of unwavering resistance.
