Not going to give this up until I have read it. I made a solemn vow to never again promise until read.

I'm old enough to remember "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland when it first started making news in the US ... early 1970s. I had lived in very Irish South Boston, Massachusetts, and much of my family still lived there (though we don't have any Irish heritage ourselves). I never saw any humor in the horror, so when I picked this book up, I was surprised to find myself laughing at times.

To be sure, this is a very, very sad story, and sad on many fronts, not the least of which is the protagonist's very motherless life. The writing is so good, though, that the sadness is never maudlin or sappy. Bizarrely sentimental, yes, but that worked for me.

I enjoyed the read, but not as much as I thought I would. I did feel like I learned more about that period of history from this novel than I ever did from the news I remember hearing. Just didn't find the ending as poignant as the rest of the story.

Sending this to sibél in NY via Sendsomething.net