Book Summary and Reviews of A Beautiful Loan by Mary Costello

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Janine_S

Poignant read
What a poignant story. The book explores a woman’s journey of self-discovery through two tumultuous relationships and through her passion for Camus and Carl Jung. It’s told simply but eloquently.

Anna is fresh from rural Ireland, young and very naive when she meets Peter, a man who’s 16 years older (she’s 19 when they meet). She eventually married Peter but theirs is a relationship where Peter controls and Anna seeks to be better for Peter. Eventually this grows tiring, especially after two failed pregnancies and they separate. Several years later she meets a Muslim man, Karim, and is attracted to Islam and converts but this too is unfulfilling for Anna as she misses many things from her former life like having her dog, Boo, be able to live inside rather than outside.

The story unfolds over 25 years and we see Anna looking for safety as several traumatic events occur this period. I found Anna a puzzling character. She threw herself into learning to improve her chances of understanding her world but didn’t seem able at times to learn from her mistakes but when she grows a spine, she’s quite arresting and strong.

As many books dealing with relationships show, the female is always seemingly willing to accede to the man. Anna does that because she seems Avery but with both men neither understand their roles to support those they love. Their interests predominate. I think Anna was better off for leaving both behind.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and W.W. Norton & company for allowing me to access this ARC.

Linda_A1

An Exhausting Journey to Find Herself
In the novel A BEAUTIFUL LOAN, author Mary Costello takes us deep into 45-year-old Anna's mind as she excavates the "climate" of her "psyche" to understand why her adult life had unfolded the way it had.

Told in first person, present tense, Anna shares the events of her odyssey through loves and losses. Leaving her loving home in West of Ireland to live in Dublin at nineteen, she stumbles toward adulthood. Always struggling with self-doubt and obsession, she searches for validation through the eyes of another, ever in fear of abandonment.

Beneath the "facts" of her life as Anna presents them, she also allows us into her private ruminations and intellectual pursuits. This is a portrait of a woman who is desperate to love and be loved but is more at home in solitude. Lost to herself, she begins a two-decades long journey toward individuation.

Mary Costello has drawn her other main characters with precision. She paints Peter, Anna's British, much older first love, whom she meets at nineteen and marries at twenty-three, as a complex man who alternately supports and then totally gaslights her. The marriage ends when Anna is thirty-two. She tells the reader she is "ready to withdraw from the world."

Enter Karim, an Algerian tech bro working in Dublin who at first seems like an antidote for Anna's depression and self-condemnation. He is compassionate and kind. He introduces her to Islam, assuring her that according to the Qur'an, if she loans "to Allah a beautiful loan" He will give her double credit and "grant her forgiveness ..." Anna finds outsized joy and obsessive comfort in both Karim and Islam, until things turn corrosive. As her relationship with both Karim and her new religion falls apart, she is determined, despite her fears, to act in her own best interest.

Costello's writing is impressive, specific, often fluid, sometimes florid. Given the present tense telling, I sometimes found myself enmeshed in Anna's story as if it were unspooling in real life. Some "don't open that door" moments caught me by surprise as I watched Anna fall into the clutches of two men from different backgrounds who nevertheless exhibited similar narcissistic and controlling behaviors. I wanted to tell her to run! This is a great example of immersive and effective storytelling. I recommend this novel.

AT McK (Madison, WI)

Being True to One's Self Takes Time
A beautifully written story of a woman who finds herself after being on "loan" to two different men. That may not be exactly what the title word is meant to imply, and it comes from the Qur'an, but I really felt that it could have this other meaning, describing what Anna went through in order to take control of her own destiny. It is an all too true story for many women to hinge one's life on another's. The writing is exquisite. As Anna processes her life and makes some tough decisions, the beautiful writing shines through, leaving the reader with sadness for the loss of time and innocence but also with hope for a future lived on her own terms, being true to herself at last.

Kevin H. (Littleton, CO)

A Great Piece of Literature
I was assigned to read this from a book club that I participate in. It wasn't a title or topic I would have normally selected on my own. That said, I'm very glad that I ended up with this book to read.

The book is presented in two parts. The first part really drew me in right away and really showcased the author's beautiful writing style. I really felt like I knew the characters well, and the book flowed very nicely. I was struggling to figure out which direction the book was heading in the second half, and it explored different topics, and was still a joy to read.

The book focuses on numerous life challenges for Anna, the protagonist, and takes place over twenty or so years. The author's descriptions of everything from love and sex to religion and family is rich and a pleasure to read. If I had any criticism of the novel, I would say that it ends rather suddenly without a definitive ending, which isn't always my favorite style. This is a minor criticism and it doesn't detract from the overall quality of this writing.

Overall, a great story, and I look forward to reading more from this promising author.

Lesa R. (Joliet, IL)

A Dog named Boo.......
This book had me constantly feeling a different emotion with each chapter. I became so interested in what was happening to Anna that I could not put it down. It did have me at the beautiful cover painting and I do always love European based books, particularly Dublin, Ireland. I have to say I despised Peter Gallagher from the get go and I could not help but picture the actor Peter Gallagher throughout the reading! For those that do not know who I am talking about, I guess that shows my age a bit! He was popular back in the day. Anyways, I was mesmerized by the sad, emotionally insecure and tortured Anna. So desperate for love that she changes herself so drastically in her relationship with the kindhearted Karim. Her obsession with the Islamic Culture was extreme and maybe at times went on drastically long in description, but it was also a bit of an education for someone with no concept of the particular culture. Her best friend was always her beloved dog, Boo. Tears were shed regarding him. I truly loved this book, I have read it twice and cannot help but wonder what Anna is up to now. Sequel? Doubtful, but I would be delighted! Bravo Mary Costello! I sincerely look forward to more from you.

Rebecca_R

Truly a Special Book!
After just two pages, I was drawn into this novel. The writing is so exceptional that I found myself feeling as if I were Anna, the 19-year-old who has just embarked on a move away from home, living in a small studio-style room, and feeling hopelessly in love. I suspect there will be a lot of readers whose hearts will ache as mine did when Peter needs to be going and Anna had her bag packed to spend the weekend with him. The aching, the embarrassment ... whew! Author Mary Costello captures it all so very well.

While this book is only 224 pages, there is nothing "only" or missing in the weaving of the story which takes place over a quarter of a century. It was actually quite refreshing to feel so satisfied with a novel that accomplishes so much without being a 900 page tome. I saw one review that described the writing as heartbreaking but unsentimental, and I think that is a good description. This book does not feel like a major greeting-card company's sappy movie channel or a dime-a-dozen romance novel, but it definitely touches one's heart.

I hesitate to give away more plot details because I am a person who enjoys books more when I go into them blind. Broken Country and Blue Sisters are two comp titles that come immediately to mind. I am so glad that I had a chance to read this book. Thank you, BookBrowse.

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