Thin Places - Review
I was browsing the website of No Alibis looking for something to read and came across Kerri ni Dochartaigh’s “Thin Places.” I have always had a strong sense of place and love the idea in Celtic spirituality of the thin place, where the border between heaven and earth becomes translucent, creating a wonderful liminal space where we can find peace and healing. Based on the title alone I knew this was a memoir I wanted to read.
I wasn’t disappointed. This book was just what I needed. With COVID restrictions in place I have been unable to travel for over a year now to my thin places on the north coast of Ireland.
What I encountered in the pages of this book was the journey of a woman whose life was deeply scarred by “The Troubles” as she grew up in Derry/Londonderry. A city deeply divided along sectarian lines made it impossible for a working class family with a mixed marriage (Protestant and Catholic) to find safe housing on either side of the divide. A petrol bomb was thrown through her bedroom window while she was sleeping. This and other traumatic events would lead Kerri on a pilgrimage towards healing and wholeness.
In the poetic language of Thin Places Kerri carries the reader through the deep periods of darkness and despair in her life. While, at the same time, offering a sense of hope that even the darkest of nights can be overcome by light. It is a story of running away and coming home, of losing yourself and finding yourself. It is a story of both lament and hope as Kerri discovers there is real value and joy to be found in living.
One of the strengths of this book is that it is incomplete. Incomplete only in the sense that there is more to the story. We’re not left with a sense that Kerri has figured everything out, life is still messy, but beautiful. She, like the rest of us, is still a pilgrim on a journey through life.
Throughout the book the power of place plays a prominent role. Kerri reminds us that “Places do not heal us. Places only hold us; they only let us in. Places only hold us close enough that we can finally see ourselves reflected back.” Many of us are drawn back to places over and over again, we never tire of being there, we feel drawn to them “like a hunger.”
If you enjoy memoirs, this is a great one. If you are interested in mental health and trauma, this book will give you insight into one person’s journey. If you want to understand how The Troubles impacted real people read this. My point is, just buy the book and read it. It’s brilliant.
I wouldn’t normally use an author's first name throughout a review, but when I wrote Dochartaigh it just didn’t feel right. It felt too formal for something this personal.
