A review by jayrbradley
A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle

4.0

An odd but delightful fusion of Irish History, Forrest Gump, Les Miserables, and Catcher in the Rye. Roddy Doyle loses his step for a little bit once he loses control of the characters and is forced to be guided by history, but what you get by the end is a great meditation on the cycles of power and abuse, familial legacy, regret, trauma, and the dirty deeds and individual tragedies that historical mythology don't give us. Not sure if I'll read the following books in the series, but this works well as a standalone and has my recommendation to anyone who likes any of its inspiring parts, as it comes into its own as a whole.