I recently read Fintain O'Toole's brilliant book 'We Don't Know Ourselves', which among other things tells the story of the Catholic church's pernicious grip on post-war Ireland. An aspect of this tale is told in fictional form in 'The Woman in the Wall', which addresses the way that babies were taken from unmarried young women and sold for money. The truth is horrific; but the drama doesn't quite work. It's focused on a woman who has had her child taken and who in conseqence, is now almost deranged. Her madness provides the mystery in the story (one could say she doesn't know her self), but at other times the plot requires her to be a rational investigator of her own history. It's a shame, as while there's a lot here that's strong, the early episodes in particular feel like they're trying too hard to set something up. It might have been better with a little less mystery.
Review of The Woman in the Wall
