Mothers and Sons by Colm Toibin

Originally published in Time Out New York, January 4, 2007

In Mothers and Sons, award-winning novelist Colm Tóibín tries his hand at short stories with moderate success. The collection showcases Tóibín’s talent for unadorned, unsentimental writing, but his characters and narrative arcs might have fully blossomed in a longer format. Mothers and Sons reads more like a compilation of stellar first chapters than stand-alone tales.

Still, Tóibín will draw you in with his compassionate exploration of the complicated bond that exists between mothers and sons. In “A Song,” Noel’s mom is virtually a stranger, having abandoned him to pursue a singing career; the story reveals what happens when Noel wanders into a bar where she is about to perform. Conversely, music is the bridge between Lisa and her moody teenage son Luke, who discovers his mother’s old records and insists they listen to them together in the Leonard Cohen–infused “Famous Blue Raincoat.”

Many of Tóibín’s stories concern the pivotal moment when children and parents begin to see each other not just in familial roles but as individuals with wants and needs, strengths and flaws. In “A Long Winter,” Miquel is shocked to discover his mother’s drinking problem, but feels pity rather than anger. Molly is devastated to learn that her son, the title character in “A Priest in the Family,” is facing charges of sexual abuse, but resolves to stand by him.

Some of the themes touched upon are underdeveloped: We learn little about how, in two of the stories, a mother’s death leads to a son’s erotic awakening. But even though this book doesn’t always satisfy, its aching meditations on maternal love should resonate with most readers.