by Emma Donoghue
Set in 1918 Dublin, The Pull of the Stars is a novel that combines history and fiction.
Inspired by the centenary of the Great Flu in 1918, the Irish-Canadian writer Emma Donoghue handed over the novel’s last draft to her publisher in March 2020, just as COVID-19 sprung definitively. Her vision foreshadowed the rebirth of an entire literary production centred on viral experience, the struggle to cope with loss and fear of contamination, and the rebirth of human sympathy in the face of disaster.
The Pull of the Stars revolves around the daily life of the nurse Julia Power, who works in the fever maternity ward at Dublin’s Hospital. The setting is marked by two moments of crisis: the Spanish Influenza (1918-1920) – one of the deadliest outbreaks in history – and The First World War (1914-1918).
The narrative portrays a tale of social change, female agency and solidarity. Amid the cramped understaffed pandemic-stricken ward, the fortuitous encounter with two women leads Julia to acknowledge her own strengths and help her to positively impact her surroundings: Dr. Kathleen Lynn – a real historical figure and a physician – and Bridie Sweeney, a young helper.
Through Julia’s tale, the novel explores the depth of human affect and resilience, illustrating a series of fortuitous encounters that disclose the importance of solidarity, care and cooperation during conflict.
Donoghue’s novel demonstrates the entanglement between past and present, the immanence of risk to human life and society, proving to be a strategic solution to raise awareness against the dangers of alienation and disunity.
The novel’s success – longlisted fo the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize and now the longest for Canada Reads 2025 – has also been adapted fo the stage at Dublin’s Gate Theatre in April and May 2024, under the direction of Louise Lowe.
Emma Donoghue, The Pull of the Stars (London, UK: Picador), 2020.