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james1star's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was my first Donal Ryan book and honestly I was expecting for more. It started well and on the whole it’s a well written look into the lives of three men in a contemporary setting that tries to deal with pressing issues. It’s split into four parts: the first three following a man in the third person (Farouk, Lampy and John) and then how their lives are all interconnected in the finale.
I’d say Farouk’s was my favourite where he tells of life in war-torn Syria with his family, the dangerous nature of being trafficked and life as a migrant. I loved the way he and his wife tell their daughter fairy tale-like stories and this runs throughout his section. The second part centres on the young Irishman Lampy as he prepares to go to work at a care home shuttling residents. Whilst this is happening he muses back over his past: growing up without a father (his grandad ‘Pop’ taking over alongside his mother), his aspirations and missed opportunities at a better life, what’s in store for his future and also love for a girl called Chloe who rejected him for Dublin life so has ‘settled’ with another. Thirdly, John is an older man who’s making a confession as his end is near, in it he reflects on his past, about the premature death of his older brother and feelings of inadequacy to his family, the tension present at home after this, life as a lobbyist making sure things went his way despite the consequences, an affair and the repercussions of his actions.
Like I said before, the writing is good and I’d classify this in the ‘literary’ genre, there’s plot but is outweighed by the character analysis and their complexity. But this leads into my criticism… none of them are likeable or really that interesting which leaves me feeling disconnected. I could see others having relatability with them but personally there was none. The female characters here are soooo one dimensional! Most are just reduced to their looks, mistreated without consequence and I just couldn’t stand it. Another thing I hated and think was very unnecessary for a book published in 2018 was the fatphobia. In each section there’s at least one character we come across who’s described as fat (or other synonyms) and done so in a negative light, it’s a bullying tactic in John’s part and I just felt enough is enough here.
Audiobook: phenomenal performance! It’s multi-cast with each actor putting his all into the narration, you feel the emotion and what Ryan was trying to put across. If you do read this I’d certainly recommend the audiobook but as a whole I didn’t really enjoy the book. I’m interested to give Ryan another chance as I believe he could be a 5 star potential author but we’ll see.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and Fatphobia
Minor: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, and War
rebeccaquinton's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, and War
orchidd's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and War