Deirdre Sullivan troubles the waters of The Children of Lir.

On this week’s episode, Deirdre Sullivan joins us to discuss Savage Her Reply (Little Island, Oct. 3), a “haunting and lyrical” retelling of Irish folktale The Children of Lir, from the point of view of its traditional villain, Aífe. When Aífe’s older sister, Aébh, dies birthing a second set of twins, Aífe is given to Aébh’s widower, a divine ruler named Lir, to assume the role of wife and stepmother. Envious of the love her new husband lavishes on her four stepchildren, Aífe uses her powers to turns them into swans who must face increasingly adverse conditions over the course of 900 years. Though she is mightily punished for this deed, her curse cannot be undone.

Here’s a bit from Kirkus’ starred review of Savage Her Reply:

“Each chapter opens with an excerpt of the classic version of the myth and a calligram, or concrete poem, in the shape of letters from the ancient Irish alphabet, Ogham. Through masterful storytelling and stunning prose, Sullivan turns an ancient legend into something complex, transforming a one-note character into a nuanced narrator who carefully weaves Irish legend with a subtly searing condemnation of patriarchal society. The author stays true to the heart of the tale while subverting the evil stepmother trope. While Aífe isn’t absolved, readers can easily sympathize with her, making the outcome all that much more sorrowful.”

Sullivan is a writer and teacher from Galway, whose award-winning books for readers of all ages, including Tangleweed and Brine, Ming and Her Poppy (illus. by Maja Löfdahl), and I Want To Know That I Will Be Okay. Her play, Wake, a feminist retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, was produced by NoRopes Theatre Company in February 2019.

In conversation, she shares the strangeness of publishing Savage Her Reply in Ireland and beyond at the height of the pandemic (October 2020) and the excitement of being able to bring the story to U.S. readers. For listeners unfamiliar with The Children of Lir, she provides a brief telling. We then discuss the ubiquity of the story in Ireland; the historical practice of uniting kingdoms through the fostering of allies’ children; the different personalities of sisters Aífe, Aébh, and Ailbhe, and the sources of their individual power; twins in literature; calligrams; what else we might call The Children of Lir; extreme Dorothy Parker fandom; and much more.

Then editors Laura Simeon, Mahnaz Dar, Eric Liebetrau, and Laurie Muchnick share their top picks in books for the week.

EDITORS' PICKS:

Forever Twelve by Stacy McAnulty (Random House)

More Tales To Keep You Up at Night by Dan Poblocki (Penguin Workshop)

Artificial: A Love Story by Amy Kurzweil (Catapult)

Ladies’ Lunch: And Other Stories by Lore Segal (Melville House)

ALSO MENTIONED ON THIS EPISODE:

Fifteen by Beverly Cleary

Nightmares! by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

Sun Dog Memory by Douglas Armstrong

Four Minutes Revisited by Dave Penswick

When We Were Twins by Danuta Hinc

As the Sycamore Grows by Jennie Miller Helderman

Fully Booked is produced by Cabel Adkins Audio and Megan Labrise.