Review: Ask Again, Yes

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very recently a question came up in a Goodreads group of which I am a member—what is literature? Definitions were bandied about and although there was some consensus, it was still fairly ethereal and ambiguous. An online dictionary, however, offers this:

Literature: written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit.

Ask Again, Yes is most certainly “literature”—a novel that will not only assuredly be splashed across dozens of “Best of 2019” lists, but one that will also be read, explicated and analyzed for years to come. This is the birth of a classic.

The book begins in 1973, as two rookie NYPD officers, Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, are partnered. Though it is only a six week stint, their meeting sets the course for the future of not only the two men, but also their families. For the next four decades, their lives intersect and collide as they face friendships lost and found, mental illness, and alcoholism—with eventual self-awareness that can only be achieved through the survival of horrific events and crisis.

Author Mary Beth Keane is on point as not only a skilled storyteller but also a brilliant wordsmith. Her prose is absolutely poetic, ebbing and flowing with phrasing and rich imagery that steals the reader’s breath. It’s not just the language, though, that makes this such a gorgeous book. Through Keane’s writing, each character is given life that lifts them off of the page and into existence. They are tragic and flawed, beautiful and real, each with hopes and dreams that transcend the obstacles with which they are faced. The reader KNOWS them and can’t help but to laugh, cry and cheer as their lives unfold.

Melancholy and even sometimes morose, the familial themes explored by Keane are at once uplifting and painful. At what cost do we cling to our past? How much energy do we expend in the name of vengeance? When does forgiveness become a noble pursuit? What, exactly, constitutes a life well-lived?

Ask Again, Yes is, without question, a must read for those who value family and the ties that bind; for those who expect good writing in exchange for the valuable time spent immersed in the pages; and for those who can appreciate the joy of a story well-told.

Thanks to both NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me access to an ARC in exchange for my review. The book is slated for a June 2019 release.

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