LONG ISLAND is the highly anticipated sequel to Colm Tóibín’s outstanding novel, BROOKLYN, which chronicles the emigration of Eilis Lacey to America, as well as her courtship with and marriage to Italian American Tony Fiorello. In the original story published in 2009, Eilis arrives in the United States from the village of Enniscorthy in County Wexford, Ireland, which is Tóibín’s actual home.

BROOKLYN is a simple but elegant story. Eilis travels to America to achieve a better life. She meets Tony and marries him without informing anyone in Ireland. After her sister, Rose, dies unexpectedly, Eilis returns to Enniscorthy, keeping her American life a secret from her family and friends. In Ireland she meets Jim Farrell, a local man, and the flame of romance between them is ignited. Torn between two lives, Eilis ultimately returns to the US without any explanation to her loved ones.

"Those who read BROOKLYN probably have a good idea where LONG ISLAND is headed. But the joy of this book is not so much in the story as it is in the beautiful way that Tóibín tells it, as he moves from character to character seamlessly."

Twenty years later, Eilis Fiorello is living on Long Island surrounded by Tony’s relatives, with all but one brother working in the family construction business. Eilis and Tony are the parents of two teenagers. One day, without warning, a man appears on their doorstep to inform Eilis that Tony has fathered a child by his wife. The baby is due in a few months, and he tells her that “as soon as this little bastard is born, I am transporting it here.” Eilis is stunned by the news and doesn’t know what to do. Complicating the situation even more is that she seems to be the last member of the family to learn about the affair and the impending birth.

The news is disquieting to Eilis. While we aren't told exactly why Tony engaged in an extramarital affair, we see that Eilis has never been truly accepted into the Fiorello clan. The other brothers who married chose Italian spouses; the youngest, Frank, is unmarried and is an occasional ally of Eilis. But the attitude towards their sister-in-law is best expressed by another brother, Enzo. After an argument at Sunday dinner, he asks his father, “Can you not control her?”

Eilis slowly realizes that the family has undertaken major plans concerning the unborn child without any input from her. She recognizes that this part of her life has ended and decides to take a trip back to Ireland for the first time since Rose's death. Enniscorthy has changed slightly in her absence, but in many ways it is the same village that she left decades ago. The focus of LONG ISLAND now shifts to its residents and their lives since her last visit.

Two characters from BROOKLYN serve as the foundation for a new story. Nancy Sheridan has been Eilis’ best friend in her previous life in Enniscorthy. She is now a widow after the death of her husband, George. Jim Farrell, the man who Eilis almost married, has always been single. Jim and Nancy are waiting until the wedding of Nancy's daughter before they announce their engagement.

Those who read BROOKLYN probably have a good idea where LONG ISLAND is headed. But the joy of this book is not so much in the story as it is in the beautiful way that Tóibín tells it, as he moves from character to character seamlessly. While this impressive yet disturbing novel becomes more a story of Jim and Nancy than it does Eilis, readers will care deeply about what happens to all of them. I have a strong feeling that we have not heard the last of Eilis, and the next stage of her life promises to be quite interesting.