Between 2 countries, finding a place to belong

When the movie Brooklyn with Saoirse Ronan came out a few years ago, I was immediately curious. Because it was about moving from one country to another. In this case, a young woman leaving her native Ireland for Brooklyn, in the early 1950s.

Could that story have anything in common with my experiences, moving from Sweden to Iowa in the 1970s?

Once I saw the movie, I knew I needed to read the book it is based on: Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín . It was a pleasure to discover that in this case the movie closely followed the book.

This is not an action story. It is an adventure, but as much about the internal journey as the act of changing places.

Eilis

At the center is a young woman, Eilis, who moves across the Atlantic and settles. The story could have ended there and been compelling enough.

But it goes deeper to also explore what happens when she returns to Ireland and has to reconcile 2 different worlds: Old country and new country.

Because in migrating, things are left behind. New experiences formed. It can feel like you are split into 2 persons: One for each country and since there’s an ocean in-between, they seem destined never to meet.