"The Last Will of Moira Leahy" by Therese Walsh
Novelist Therese Walsh's
visit to OFF THE PAGE comes a few days before Thanksgiving, and her
new book "The Last Will of Moira Leahy" also starts in that time
frame. The opening lines are, "I lost my twin to a harsh
November nine years ago", and Maeve Leahy wishes the days of this
month would just disappear. But the coming days will change
her as much as the preceding nine years have. It is not just
the intangible passage of time that brings that renewal; the action
is advanced by a potent prop -- a keris, a ceremonial
dagger from the island of Java like the one that figured in the
play piracy of the young Leahy twins. Maeve Leahy, Ph.D., is
a 25-year old professor of Romance languages at Betheny College --
a fictional institution set in one of those tidy antique-feeling
college towns of upstate New York -- and even with the holidays
approaching she does not plan to go back home to Castine, Maine and
renew the strained relationship with her parents and troubled
memories of her sister.
But she is motivated -- almost forced -- to go to Rome, Italy in
search of the empu,
the Javanese artisan who had been leaving her cryptic messages back
in Betheny. The sudden trip to Europe puts her on the same
continent as her old boyfriend Noel, who has also been in a quest
to find the missing pieces of his life. Therese Walsh
alternates chapters about the Leahy girls and their adolescent
experiences in Castine with Maeve's quest in Rome and her
relationship with Noel. The teenage romance of Moira and
their neighbor boy Ian creates a barrier that will rupture the
bonds between the twin sisters and lead to tragedy. But as
that is recalled, the need to locate the empu and hold on
to the keris (which is constantly in danger of being
stolen or getting lost) gives Maeve the courage and the clarity to
remember and forgive.
Therese Walsh, who lives in Binghamton, spent six years writing and
rewriting "The Last Will of Moira Leahy". She holds a
master's degree in psychology and was a researcher and writer for
Prevention Magazine. Therese is also co-founder of the blog
Writer Unboxed, which
Writer's Digest named as one of the 101 best websites for
writers.
Therese joins Bill Jaker on OFF THE PAGE to
tell about her premiere novel and respond to listeners'
comments. To join in the conversation, call during the 1:00
PM live broadcast to 888/359-9754 or post an e-mail to OffThePage@WSKG.ORG.
* Words from the private language of the Leahy twins.
