When All Is Said

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses pregnancy loss, mental health conditions, forced sedation, suicide, and sexual assault.

Maurice is the protagonist of When All Is Said, with the novel focusing on his life and emotional journey. He internally addresses his first-person narration to Kevin, his son who lives in the United States, and mentions his wife, Sadie, throughout. Griffin builds mystery in the novel as Maurice references information early in the novel that is only revealed later on. She builds a biographical account of his life through the device of Maurice making toasts to five absent people. He comes from a working-class Irish farming background, which shapes his love of the land and obsession with financial success. However, his toasts to these five people reflect the importance of love and family to him. These people have all been formative in his life.

Griffin establishes Maurice’s age and humor in the opening paragraph as he wonders if the barstools are getting lower but decides it’s probably a result of being 84, alongside “hairy ears.” This sets the tone for his retrospective narrative. She punctuates his time in