English Course Literature V.

Gendre

What is The Spinning Heart about?

Donal Ryan’s debut novel, The Spinning Heart, was published in 2012 and chronicles the
effects of a declining economy on a small Irish village. When the economy was booming,
Pokey Burke headed a lucrative construction crew—the main source of jobs and revenue for
many people in the village. However, once the economy plummets, Pokey disappears, taking
with him the pensions of his crew and leaving most of the housing projects unfinished. Many
of the men in the village are without jobs or savings. As a result, many of the characters face
repressed feelings of grief and loss.

1. With a partner, flip through the book / chapters and share your ideas about how the
chapters are structured.
Structure:
There is 21 chapter, each one about another person

2. What can you say about the novel’s point of view?

Each chapter reflects a different character’s first-person narration style and
vernacular

3. Who do you think the main character is? What role do you think he will have in the
story?
Each person have her story and speak in their own way and vocabulary

Each chapter reflects a different character’s first-person narration style and vernacular. Some
characters are vulnerable, willing to share their inner thoughts, fears, and feelings, while other
characters are guarded narrators who only give their opinions and judgments about other
characters. Some characters speak with a plethora of informal slang terms, while other
characters are more formal. However, all chapters include Irish phrases and terms.

As a reader, what will you have to be aware of?

The reader must work to connect the clues to build a sequence of events. Unreliable narrators
throughout make this task more challenging, but, in the end, this postmodern approach is ideal
for sketching a modern vision of rural Ireland.

Important Symbol:
Have a close look at the picture / front cover of another edition.
What can you see? Describe the picture.
English Course Literature V. Gendre
 English Course Literature V. Gendre

Characters:
In order to keep track of the characters, I would like you to open your books on
page 8 (blank page in front of the “Bobby” chapter. Write numbers from 1 to 21
and copy the names next to each number. Then, do the same task but using this chart!

Name Other Names Mentioned + page number

1 9
Bobby
2 21
Josie
3 27
Lily
4 35
Vasya
5 42
Réaltìn
6 49
Timmy
7 56
Brian
8 62
Trevor
9 Bridie 68

10 Jason 76

11 Hillary 82

12 90
Seanie
13 97
Kate
14 103
Lloyd
15 108
Rory
16 114
Millicent
17 Denis 120

18 Mags 126

19 Jim 132

20 Frank 139

21 Triona 146
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Chapter 1: Bobby
1. A. Have a close look at the first paragraph. What literary technique is used
in this paragraph? What is its purpose? Analyse.
Repetition. It’s about Bobby visiting his father, hoping he is dead.
1.B. What can you say about the relationship between Bobby and his father?
Not good relationship
2. The second paragraph is very powerful. What literary device is used and what is its
purpose?
Alliteration, metaphor of the gate shows how the father is old and how his heart is hard
3. What will happen to the land on which the cottage is built? (p. 10)
Burn the cottage down and sell the land
4. How long has Bobby been without a job?
Bobby has been jobless for 2 months
5. Who is Pokey Burke? What is his real name and why was he given this nickname?
Bobby’s ex-boss, his real name is Sean Pol, he came out with this name bc when he was 2
years old, his brother called him Pokey, and it just stayed.
6. What did Mickey Briars tell Bobby and the other men about their pensions? (p. 10 +
11)
Pockey stole the pension and left
7. What was Mickey Briars’ reaction towards Pokey Burke?
He went violent bc he wanted his pension
8. Two other characters are introduced on page 11. What are their names and what does
the narrator tell the reader about one of these characters? What did Mickey Briars do
to this character?
Timmy Hanrahan, Seanie Shaper
9. On page 12 (That’s the worst … sorry for herself), what does the reader learn about
Bobby’s and his colleagues’ pension? What did Pokey Burke do / or never do?

10. What do we learn about Bobby’s intelligence on page 14?

He is good a math, physics, English, geography. He is very smart/intelligent.
11. Who is Josie Burke introduced at the bottom of page 14?
it is the father of Pockey
12. What does Bobby say about Seanie Shaper and his family on page 16?
He has a great family, they always laugh and are happy
13. What did Bobby’s father do when he got money from his own father? (p. 17)
he went to buy alcohol
14. What was the relationship like between Bobby’s father and his own father? ( p. 18)
His father thinks that he is good for nothing, they haven’t a good relationship
15. On page 18, the reader learns about Bobby being able to forgive his father and not
being able to forgive his dad. What is it?

16. What was the relationship like between Bobby and his mother? (p. 18)
They don’t speak a lot together because they are afraid of his father being violent for
thinking they are conspiring against him.
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Chapter II: Josie

1. Who is Josie and what is his real name? How many children does
he have and what do we know about them? What is his wife’s name?
Joseph Burke, 3 children, pockey, eamonn and another daughter but he isn’t
talking to her. His favorite child is pockey he doesn’t like Eamonn either. His
wife is Eileen.
2. Flashback (pages 21 – 22): what is Josie thinking about? How does he show
regret to the reader (p. 22)? What literary technique is used?

3. Compare / contrast the passage on pages 23/24 in which Josie explains where
and how hard he worked and the different passages in which he complains
about his son Pokey. (p. 25)

4. What are the differences between Pokey and Eamonn according to Josie?
Quote from the text to prove your answer.

5. How is Bobby connected to Josie? What is said about him in this chapter?

Vocabulary:

p. 21: to allow
poor (wf)
digs
p. 22: apologized (wf – adj)
mortgaging
waxed and waned
woeful
p. 25: rotten
nurture
p. 26: kennel
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Chapter III: Lily

1. Describe Bernie (p. 27 – 32)
It’s a man who is very violent with Lily and pushed her many times and menaced to
kill her (p.27)
2. Who is Lily? What was her job and what does she say about it?
She is a prostitute and refuses men who disgust her
3. Describe Lily.
The men started looking at her since she was 11, she has 5 children and some of them
live in England and don’t talk to her anymore.
4. Compare / contrast pages 24 and 29.
In those pages, Lily and Josie talk about the same situation, when he tried to have some of the
Lily's services. He was way too drunk, and Lily knew that, she knew he was a good men: "he
didn't know himself.. he was full of kindness" so she refused him.
Josie tells the same but saying that he doesn't remember the woman he tried on and he's really
ashamed of himself. He would like to apology to her: "I often thought to find that woman and
say I was sorry"
We can conclude that Lily's a good person too, she's not like people in the village say.
5. What does Lily say about her children especially about John-John and her fifth
child?

6. Explain why she likes Bobby Mahon (p. 31) How is he connected to her? What
is said about him in this chapter?

Vocabulary:

p. 28: he flinched
relief
bathed (wf)
p. 29: knapsack
whining and snotting
willing
refused (wf)
weakness (a + wf)
p. 30: pains (wf)
sharp (a)
p.31: fair-haired
bound
heights (wf)
squinting
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Chapter IV: Vasya

1. His story starts with a description of Ireland. How does he describe
the island?

2. Where is Vasya from? What does he say about his father, brother and family in
general.

3. How would you describe Vasya’s personality? Quote to prove your answer.

4. What does he tell us about his past before coming to Ireland?

5. How is Bobby connected to Vasya? What is said about him in this chapter?

Vocabulary:

p. 35: scolded
p. 37: herds
sweeping
masons
planks
burden
p. 38: staggered
p. 39: dull
steep
winding
p. 49: shallow (a)
p. 50:
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Chapter V: Réaltin
1. Who is Réaltin and where does she live?
She lives in a ghost estate with her son Dylan and her father visit her. Her
mother is dead and her father have a new girlfriend (Bridget) and Réaltin
doesn’t really like her. Seanie seems to be the father of Dylan, but she is not
sure, maybe it’s the son of George (her Boss). She seems not to be very
responsible. She likes Bobby, he works like a builder and want to please him.
2. Describe the estate.

3. What does she say about the auctioneer who sold her the house?

4. Have a close look at the top paragraph on page 43. In what ways does Réaltin
describe what her father Tom does for her? What technique is used and what is
the effect on the text / reader? Analyse.

5. How does the reader know that Réaltin is talking about Pokey Burke? (p. 43)

6. Who is Dylan?

7. What does Réaltin’s father to do in revenge his daughter for what Pokey Burke
did to her? (p. 43 – 44)

8. Who is Seanie and what does she say abut him?

9. Who is George and what does she say about him?

10. How is Bobby connected to Réaltin? What is said about him in this chapter? (p.
47-48)

11. What does Réaltin say in the last line of the chapter? What does it suggest?

Vocabulary:

p. 42: stranded
auctioneer
p. 43: he tuts
scowls
spooky
he hums
he curses
he slashes
grumpy
comped on
gone bust
steadfast
bowed
retirement (wf)
p. 45: debonair
wrinkled
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witty
p. 48: gawking
lumpy, loose, wobbly
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Chapter Analysis:
1. What can you say about this small Irish town?

2. The main tragedy is introduced and one can feel the ache of the loss soaring on the

village. In what ways is this true? Analyse.

3. Discuss the disconnection between parents and their children.

4. How is isolation also shown in these chapters?

5. In what ways is escape not a possibility for the characters?

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Chapter VI: Timmy

Chapters 6 through 13 function independently from each other. They also further the central
plot (the economic collapse of the village) and are interconnected by common themes.

1. How is the reader able to understand that Timmy is an observant character at the
beginning of the chapter? Quote to support your answer.

2. What does the reader learn about the relationship between Timmy and Bobby?

3. What happened on Timmy’s first day of work when he started with the builders?

4. Flashback on page 52: the reader gets Timmy’s side of the story narrated by Bobby on
page 11. Compare / contrast.

5. What does Timmy say about his family? (parents, siblings, growing up, childhood
memories)

6. Analysis -> bottom of page 53 (last 4 lines): two literary devices are used. What are
they and what is the effect on the story?

7. Why could one think that Timmy won’t get the job as a kitchen porter?

Vocabulary:

Write down words you don’t understand

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Chapter VII: Brian

1. The chapter opens with parents complaining about their sons leaving Ireland for
Australia. What do the parents say about this emigration? (p. 56 – 57) Quote to
support your answer.

2. Brian mentions historical background on page 57. What does he say and why?

3. Show how sarcastic and arrogant he is when he mentions his girlfriend Lorna on page
58.

4. The gossip has started! What is being said about Bobby in the village? (p. 60)

5. In what ways does Brian admire / envy Bobby? Quote to support your answer.

6. Discuss what the two last short sentences might mean?

Vocabulary:

p. 56: reckons
acknowledge
p. 60 snigger and slag
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Chapter VIII: Trevor

1. In order to understand Trevor’s paranoid delusions, let’s start on page 66. What does
Trevor say about his father?

2. Trevor daydreams. Find two passages in the chapter to show how and what he
daydreams about.

3. What is Trevor’s daily routine?

4. Show two passages in which Trevor is paranoid. What imagery is used?

5. Who does Trevor work for? Where does she live and who is the neighbour with the
child?

6. Analyse the comparison he uses on page 63 to describe the estate he goes to to work.

Vocabulary:

p. 62: she stirs

clank
p. 63: apron
draughty
swanky
window sills
p. 64: spine
riddled
p. 65: abates
dully
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Chapter IX: Bridie

1. Explain why Bridie tells the reader that she “kept (my) back to the river” on page 68?

2. Have a close look at the 7 last lines on page 68. Identify the two literary devices and
analyse them.

3. Analyse the line on page 69: “The greedy Atlantic ate him and kept his little bones”.

4. What kind of job has Bridie accepted? In spite of her, why has she accepted this new
job in County Clare? (p. 69)

5. What does the reader learn about her second-youngest son Eugene?

6. The gossip continues about Bobby. What does she say about it on page 73?

7. How does Bridie describe the encounter between Bobby and Frank in front of Bridie’s
house? (p. 74 – 75)

8. The reader gets to know Bobby a bit more. How does Bridie describe Bobby ? (p. 73)

Vocabulary:

p. 69: wrapped
treading water
p. 70: redundant
smirked
p. 71: a speck of dirt
swagger
p. 72: huddled together
p. 73: she looked wretched
faithless
drilling
scraggy
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Chapter X: Jason

1. In what ways is the opening line in this chapter so important? What does Jason decide
to do about it? (p. 77)

2. Jason shares his disorders to past traumas. What are they?

3. Jason narrates his story using very informal language. Choose 2/3 examples and
discuss them.

Chapter XI: Hilary

1. Who is Hilary to Réaltin?

2. Quote 3 different passages in which Hilary gives out about Réaltin’s selfishness and
flirtatiousness and give your opinion. Do you think she really loves Réaltin?

3. The gossip between Réaltin and Bobby still continues in the village. What does Hilary
say about it?

4. What does Hilary say about Bobby killing his father?

5. What does Hilary say about Seanie?

Vocabulary:

p. 82: leches
cop … on
p. 83: besotted
tramp
p. 84: distraught
brazen
hussy
p. 85: miscarriage
p. 87: sympathy (wf)
suit herself
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Chapter XII: Seanie

1. Where does his nickname come from? (Seanie = a cool guy who is loved by
everybody and is kind, full of passion and loves women / shaper = shaping things into
something) (p. 92)

2. Quote 3 different passages in which Hilary gives out about Réaltin and give your
opinion. Do you think she really loves Réaltin?

3. On page 92 the reader gets Seanie’s side of the story (meeting Réaltin for the first
time. Compare / contrast the two stories (Hilary’s narration on page 86) and Seanie’s
story on page 92.

4. Rumors: compare / contrast: pages 47 – 48 and page 93 !

5. Everyone perceives Seanie as an always happy, goofy comedian, but he admits he’s
depressed. On page 95, identify literary technique used to describe the way he feels.

Analysis:

Feelings of grief and loss over being separated from their children connect Bridie, Jason, and
Seanie. Hope remains though. Discuss how, one day, Jason and Seanie might be a larger part
of their sons’ lives. Quote to support your answer.
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Chapter XIII: Kate

1. Kate owns a crèche. What did she do to promote her crèche?

2. Who has she hired recently and what does the reader know about this person? What is
the technique used here? (literary device)

3. Kate is very judgmental and arrogant. Who are the two people she talks down on and
explain why.

Vocabulary:

p. 97: whingeing
blaming
p. 98: tether
p. 101: huffed and puffed
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Chapter XIV: Lloyd

1. Lloyd is Trevor’s closest friend, and like Trevor, he suffers from delusions. He
considers himself a solipsist. What does Lloyd say about solipsism and how does he
describe himself? (p. 105)

2. At the beginning of the chapter, what does Lloyd say about the virtual and the real
world? How does he feel about this?

3. What has Lloyd agreed to do for his friend Trevor? How does he deal with it?

Chapter XV: Rory

1. Why was Rory looking forward for the coming summer?

2. Who does he think is responsible for starting the rumors about Bobby and Réaltin?
What does he say about it?

3. What does Rory say about Bobby not being able to be unfaithful?

4. Why does Rory wish to be like Bobby? What does he say about Bobby’s personality?
(p. 110)

5. How would you describe Rory? Why will he never contact Holly?

Chapter XVI: Millicent

1. Who is Millicent? (Go back to page 30!)

2. Explain what she witnesses between her parents.

3. In what ways does Millicent’s mother judge her husband?

4. What does she say about Dylan’s kidnapping?

 English Course Literature V. Gendre

Chapter XVII: Denis

1. Who is Denis? What words does he use in the first paragraph to show how he is
feeling?

2. On page 122, how does the reader understand that Denis is in a condition of
confusion? What technique is used?

3. Explain how Denis has uncontrollable anger building in him in the first paragraph on
page 123. What is the effet on the reader?

4. In your opinion, what does Denis think about the relationship between Bobby and his
father?

5. Compare and contrast Denis’ palpitations to the spinning heart in the centre of Frank’s
gate.

Chapter XVIII: Mags

1. What does Mags mean when she says: “The way he talks to Eamonn and my niece and
nephew.”?

2. What is Mags’ job?

3. What happened over “that dinner that weekend nearly three years ago” (p. 128)? How
did Mags feel and what did she do?

4. Thanks to Ger (Mags’ girlfriend), Mags understands what happened that day. What
does she tell Mags on page 130?

Chapter XIX: Jim

1. Jim, Bridie’s brother, took Bridie’s son fishing the day her son drowned. He’s a cop,
and lately he can’t sleep because he’s too worried about Réaltín’s kidnapped son,
Dylan. Analyse the following sentence: “ I lie there under a sheet of sweat and wonder
is there a sort of a balance, a symmetry that the universe must achieve, the way water
must always find its level” (p. 133).

2. Discuss the symbolism of the shadows on page 133.

3. What does Jim say about Bobby killing his father? Why does he think that way?

4. In what ways is Timmy important to the plot?

5. What does Jim say about Kate on page 136?

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Chapter XX: Frank

1. This chapter is told from Frank’s point of view obviously. But when is he
actually narrating his story? Find two passages to support your answer.

2. What does Frank say about the future? What literary device is used? (p. 139 – 140)

3. What does Frank say about his personality on page 140?

4. Why does Frank mention “Purgatory” on page 141?

5. What can’t he understand about Bobby?

6. Why did Frank tell his son when he was younger: “where light shines a shadow is
cast”? (page 142)

7. Why did Frank’s father once tell him that “pride is a deadly sin”?
 English Course Literature V. Gendre

Chapter XXI: Triona

1. Triona is Bobby’s wife. Her chapter opens with an anecdote about her
Auntie Bernadette and her cousin Coley. The anecdote is about a cross that Bernadette
asked Coley to carve but he wanted to add decorations on it but she reacted violently.

Why does Triona use this anecdote to talk about Bobby? (p.147) ?

2. What does she say about the “other lads” compared to Bobby? (top of page 147)

3. What did she like about Bobby when she first met him? (p. 147)

4. Compare / contrast: Bernadette – Coley / Frank – Bobby (bottom of page 147)

5. What does she say about the gossip in town on page 153?

6. “The Teapot Taliban” fattened on their stories about Bobby and that girl” … “Poor
Triona they said…”: reread this passage on page 154 and identify two literary devices
that Triona uses to describe the gossipmongers who thrive on spreading the rumours.
What is the effect on the reader?

7. What happened to Dylan?

8. Why does the chapter finish with “What matters only love?”