Libraries from Cape Elizabeth to Fort Kent are livestreaming the online event
The grassroots, statewide nonprofit Finding Our Voices invites everyone to join a free, online talk on Tuesday, Nov. 18 with Booker Prize-winning novelist Roddy Doyle who will be Zooming in from Dublin, Ireland to join the book club meeting.
Doyle will be discussing the domestic abuse that is central to his trilogy of fictional books that are written in the voice of Paula Spencer and span 1996’s “The Woman Who Walked Into Doors to 2024’s The Women Behind the Door”.
Public libraries across Maine livestreaming from 2 to 3:15 p.m. include those in Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Bath, Camden, Blue Hill, Ellsworth and Fort Kent. Stores stocking and offering discounts on the books include Bogan Books in Fort Kent, Blue Hill Books, Devaney, Doak and Garrett Booksellers in Farmington, Bookstacks in Bucksport and Barnswallow Books in Rockport.
The thought-provoking and unique Finding Our Voices discussions with authors offer rare insight into the ways domestic abuse is portrayed — and often hidden — in literature.
The Irish-author series was inspired by the actor Gabriel Byrne who lives in Midcoast Maine and last winter hosted a hugely successful fundraising event in Camden for Finding Our Voices. According to the nonprofit’s CEO/Founder Patrisha McLean, Byrne has been regularly sending her reviews from Irish media outlets on books involving domestic abuse, and when she lets him know of a book she particularly loves, connecting her with the author.
A further Irish connection to Finding Our Voices is a 2020 feature story in the Irish Times about the 29 years of domestic abuse endured by McLean that she said resulted in “dozens if not hundreds of women reaching out to me to let me know about the domestic abuse they endured in Ireland and how much they related to what I went through in Maine” (https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/patrisha-mclean-my-deeply-controlling-ex-husband-don-mclean-1.4407458).
McLean said she reached out to Doyle in 2019, 20 years after being “bowled over” by his first book that was written in the voice of domestic abuse survivor Paula Spencer. He replied that, “Paula Spencer is the character I’m most proud of” and added that when this novel came out, “a woman who had been in a violent relationship said, ‘How did you get inside my f**** head?’ It’s the best review I ever got.”
Solas Nua, the Washington D.C.-based group dedicated to bringing the best of Irish contemporary arts to the U.S., is partnering with Finding Our Voices on its Irish-author book talks.
The Finding Our Voices Book Club is part of Finding Our Voices’ broader mission to break the silence surrounding domestic abuse and shine a light on the complexities and patterns of the issue.
“Shining a light on a problem is the first step to solving it,” said McLean. “These explorations with authors of memoir and fiction remind us that domestic abuse hides in plain sight and takes many forms. With both survivors and non-survivors participating from all around the world they are also an amazing way to foster empathy and awareness.”
According to McLean, the Finding Our Voices Book Club “is open to anyone interested in deepening their understanding of domestic abuse, literature, and healing through community dialogue.” .
For more information on joining the upcoming events at home or at public libraries, visit https://findingourvoices.net/book-club.
Finding Our Voices is the grassroots nonprofit breaking the silence of domestic abuse across Maine including with impactful programs in high schools, as well as providing critical resources to women survivors such as Get Out Stay Out microgrants, access to free dental care, and weekly online support groups. For more information visit https://findingourvoices.net.
