Novel set in Belfast (“funny and poignant”)
- Book: The Good Son
- Location: Belfast
- Author: Paul McVeigh
When you pick up the slim volume that constitutes McVeigh’s first novel and read the blurb on the back, you might be forgiven for putting it back down again. I was tempted to, I must admit. Surely, not another book about growing up in adversity, I thought. Well yes, it is about that; the narrator, Mickey Donnelly, gives us an account of the summer before starting at secondary school in the Ardoyne, one of the most turbulent estates in Belfast of the 1980’s. But McVeigh’s book is much more than that; for a start, the voice of the narrator is so captivating that I challenge any reader to leave the book unfinished.
Mickey Donnelly lives in troubled times, but has additional troubles of his own. He doesn’t fit in; he’s clever and sensitive and, as a result, has been branded “gay” by the tough kids who inhabit his confined world. He’s lonely, ostracised by the other boys and his only friend is his sister, Wee Maggie, of whom he is fiercely protective. He tries so hard to be a good son to his much adored Ma and dreams of being able to take her to America, away from the Troubles and away from his Da, whom he hates. Unfortunately, his only hope of ever achieving this dream is the grammar school, but the prohibitive cost of the uniform cruelly close the door on that escape route.
This is such a good read; it’s funny and poignant by turns but it’s also a chilling commentary on what living through those times in Belfast meant for some people. We are made to understand exactly how repeated exposure to brutality deadens feelings and this message is delivered with even more punch for coming through the voice of an eleven year old boy. McVeigh’s brilliant use of dialect has you chuckling throughout, but you never lose the sense of danger. From the beginning of the second chapter, when we are told that it is “Nine weeks til St. Gabriel’s”, the tough secondary modern school that Mickey dreads, you feel that you’re sitting on a ticking time bomb. At times, I found myself holding my breath as I read of Mickey’s frantic struggle to find a solution to his problems.
If you plan on visiting Belfast any time soon, then this would be a good book to read before you do. It will, if nothing else, make you aware of the past that lies behind the present sophisticated surface of that city. But, even if you’ve no intention of visiting, you shouldn’t miss this read. As Mrs. Donnelly might say, “If you’ve a lick of sense, read this wee book, right nigh.”
McVeigh will surely go on to write more great novels and to win awards for them but, personally, I’d like to read a sequel to this one. I don’t want to leave Mickey Donnelly there – I want to know what happens to him later.
This review first appeared on our blog where we also chat to author Paul McVeigh
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