A review by agirlandabook85
Boys Don't Cry by Fíona Scarlett

4.0

Beware this book will break your heart. It may be titled Boy’s Don’t Cry but this 37 year old lady certainly shed some tears.

Set in Dublin, Ireland this tells the story of two brothers Joe and Finn. A beautifully written story of brotherly love within a family ravaged by gangland crime.

It’s a brilliantly compassionate study of masculinity against a harsh backdrop of poverty, societal expectations and limited choices.

The dual narrative told also from different timelines worked really well in building the emotional connection. You know what is going to happen early on in the book the mystery lies not in what happens to these boys but in how it happens and the subsequent impacts. Those last few chapters as the two boys stories start to wrap up were some of the most emotive I have ever read.

Scarlett writes with such authenticity, compassion and empathy. The characters, the relationships, the emotional all feel real. Finn in particular is one of those special characters you hold in heart once you’ve read their story. Joining the likes of Shuggie and Jude those beautifully crafted souls that exist only on paper but break your heart nonetheless.

Strong recommendation from me, If this is her debut I’m eagerly awaiting what she writes next.