Review: Things I Know by Helena Close

Things I Know takes place over a summer in Cloughmore, a town you’d pass through in Clare on the way to the sea. Everything stays the same here. The setting near the seaside in Clare is evocative and wild in a very Irish way, in its portrayal of drinking culture, GAA and chippers.

Saoirse’s friend Jade is a larger than life character who visits occasionally from Limerick where she and her family used to live. Her father has thrown himself into new ventures since the death of her mother. Saoirse feels like everything is wrong, even before the shocking death by suicide of her ex-boyfriend, Finn.

This is a beautifully crafted story, taking us into Saoirse’s mind as she struggles to find something to cling to. Nothing seems to stick; counselling with Malcolm, flirting with Dylan, even hanging out with Jade becomes fractured over the summer months. Saoirse still feels like she’s on the outside. Her sister Eva seems to fit in but things only get more worrying for our protagonist.

Helena Close skews the plague that is social media for young people, feeding the rumour mill in the town. The author never allows the narrative to descend totally into a depressive state, but instead portrays the poignant story of a young woman trying her best. Trying to ignore the relentless waves of toxic friendship and the platitudes being thrown her way by her family, by Dylan and by her counsellor. Something has to give eventually and Helena Close approaches this with sensitivity and poise in her writing. Another engaging read from the writer of the successful The Gone Book.

Derek Carney