A review by nickymaund
Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen

4.0

I went into reading this with high hopes. High hopes for the ready and easy humour of Derry Girls and when Majella sucks you into her life, that’s not what I got. For me that comparison is false. What I got was her life; warts and all. This is a story that will leaving you feeling for the life that Majella lives - her alcoholic mother, her father who’s disappeared and the recent murder of her beloved granny. Majella struggles to make sense of the world, through her autistic eyes and strange ticks and ways of coping, and how no one, not even her own mum understands (or tries to!) the way she is. There’s not much to the story, but this is all about the mundane, the everyday, her life. As with every small hometown, there’s the nosey neighbours knowing exactly what goes on in your house and life. It’s choc full of Irish vernacular and lots of bad language (be warned!), this also gives the perspective of the locals living through ‘The Troubles’ and their view on Protestants, the Brits and the PISNI. It was a real eye opener. It’s not an easy read with references to suicide. After finishing the book and Majella’s story, I’m left want to know more - what happened next! Majella will stay with me for a long time.