On the Tracks of the Past

The first novel by John Boyne set in Ireland, A History of Loneliness (2014), is an excellent example of ageing along the history of Ireland itself. The novel is narrated by an old man who looks back on his life and explores his past against the background of the historical, social, and political changes that his country underwent in the second half of the twentieth century, especially in terms of religion and sexuality. Issues of guilt and shame are also ubiquitous in the novel, since the motivation of the narrator and protagonist to tell his story comes from a desire to come to terms with his past, the actions and inactions that still shame him to this day. The aim of this essay is to analyze how guilt and shame linger in Odran’s old age, especially paying attention to Boyne’s strategies to foreground these affects in A History of Loneliness.