Drowning the hullabaloo blues

by Michael O'Dwyer

Alex was three and a bit when he killed his parents; he didn't mean to.If he'd known that he would end up being adopted by his father's ex-mistress he'd have done things differently. If he'd known that his adopted family included a temperamental artist, a mad Mad Nana Mags, a strange Albert Strange, a pair of silent twins, a drug-addicted butler called Mister Goodley and the monolithic and incompetent nurse McMurphy then he definitely would have done things differently. If he'd known that his adopted younger brother would turn out to be a serial killer then he wouldn't have gone near the Wave Monster at the end of the world.Alex has the Hullabaloo Blues and wants his mum and dad back. All he has to remind him of them is a trunk full of old photographs and Jasper God Walker.Jasper's a stuffed dog on wheels.You can't have everything.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Mick O'Dwyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wrote this nearly 20 years ago, and haven't read it in about 15 years. There were bits of it I liked, but I'm sure if I read it now i might not have much time for it - that's what 20 or so years of living will do to you, make you less patient with yourself. I really enjoyed writing it, found it stimulating and rewarding - after you get beyond the 50 page mark things kind of flow as characters take on a life of their own.

So after all this time I've started writing my second.
Not so much writer's block as life stuff getting in the way.
We'll see how this one goes.

And yeah, the cover sucks big hairy ones.

[Boris Vorobev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Эта книга - вовсе не очередная "альтернативная" поделка, как можно подумать, глядя на обложку и на название. На самом деле это добротный образчик абсурдного и очень чёрного британского юмора, приятный и лёгкий для чтения, несмотря на довольно запутанную двухступенчатую композицию, и отдалённо напоминающий романы Стивена Фрая.

"Ярчайшим дебютом в ирландской прозе" я бы это называть не стал, но для роли лёгкого чтива на пару дней книга подходит просто замечательно.

[MaRia · Rating 2 out of 5]

trashy