Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Close to Home by Michael Magee

4 reviews

yilliun's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What does it mean to have a love/ hate relationship with where you’re from and how can you grow past that? This book explores these questions through the lens of Sean, who feels trapped by his past and unable to break the cycles that keep him trapped. It took me about 70 pages or so to become really interested in the story. I think Mairead entering the picture represented a turning point for both myself as the reader and Sean. I enjoyed the nonlinear path of Sean’s life and I think it made him a more realistic character to me. You would think he’s on the right track then Finty and Ryan pull him right back again into old patterns. 

Adjusting to the Irish slang used throughout the book took some getting used to, and I do think that contributed to how I struggled to get into the story itself. I think you also need to go into this book with the knowledge of what The Troubles represent in Northern Ireland even to the present day. 
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kirstym25's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 Close to Home is a debut novel set in contemporary Belfast. It opens with a bang - literally - as Sean assaults a fellow partygoer knocking him to the ground. There’s a lot more to Sean than this opening scene might suggest. He is from a working class background, went to Liverpool and earned a degree in English literature. Finding a job has been a struggle so he’s back home, working at a bar, hanging with his old crowd, drinking too much and taking too many drugs. It doesn’t take much imagination to see the role these facts played in the assault. I really enjoyed this novel. Sean, despite his flaws and poor behaviour, was a likeable character and I spent the book rooting for him to get a break and to make good choices. The exploration of themes like toxic masculinity, men suppressing their emotions, the reliance on drugs and alcohol to mask emotional pain, the class divide, the impact of economic recessions, the legacy of the Troubles, sexual abuse, divided families and the lack of positive male role models for boys, were all handled well. Magee has painted a really nuanced picture of Sean as a young man caught between two worlds - trying to get a foothold in the world of writing, arts and university but being beset by rejections and constantly feeling pulled back to his old life of poverty, theft, poor insecure housing, substance overuse, and casual violence. Definitely gritty in places but realistic, relevant and important. The hopeful ending prevents it from feeling unbearably bleak. 
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sammygoosereads's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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