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jess_mango's review against another edition
3.0
A challenging read about life in an Irish border town in the 1970's told through the eyes of a boy nicknamed "Pussy".
teaselkie's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Dysphoria, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Death
Minor: Religious bigotry
casspro's review against another edition
3.0
I can't tell if I love the way the storyline is written or am put off by it. It's not your typical, linear style of writing: "This happened, then this happened, and finally this happened.", but more conversational. It's all told in this off the cuff style that borders on flippant, but it seems to work for the character of Patrick "Pussy" Braden. There is a positivity in the undercurrent of Pussy's words that makes even the most awful incidents turn into charming tales to regale the reader. It's not heavy on the vernacular, which is a God-send for me, but still very authentically Irish. All I know for sure is I want Pussy in my posse.
captain_readbeard's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Unreliable narrator and non-linear storytelling made this hard to follow. Lots of name dropping and references I missed. Narrator often dropped into a prose-type style which made things even harder to follow.
cosmicoats's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
peachyseen's review against another edition
challenging
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
aoifetriestoread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Great book and very important, it’s kind of messy though and jumps all over the place and it’s hard to tell if it’s because of the unreliable narrator or a misstep on the author’s part.
However, a must read for anyone interested in queer Irish stories and history.
However, a must read for anyone interested in queer Irish stories and history.
emmaburke's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
quixotic's review against another edition
3.0
not my favorite bc of how much it jumped around but mccabes writing will always be charming to me and there’s a lot to love with this protagonist
kidsquid's review against another edition
at over 100 pages in, I truly have no idea what this book is about, or who any of the characters are.