Brilliantly Funny Account of the Life of a Dysfunctional Irish Life

Kevin Gogarty doesn't have an easy life, his mother, or step-mother to be accurate although she's mothered him since he was tiny, has a compulsion to shoplift, one of his teenage twin daughters is going through a rebellious phase and he's out of work. Rebecca Hardiman tells the story of the Gogarty family with a light-hearted touch and Meet the Gogartys is exactly the type of books to life readers spirits right now. Millie, Kevin's mother, once again steals a few, low value items from the local shop, not that she needs any of them but just because she can, however the Donnellys who own the shop have had enough and call the police. Kevin is out enjoying a drink with a friend when the police call him to go to the station. While this is happening, his daughter, Aideen, discovers her parents have been checking out a boarding school for her and is horrified. Nuala, her prettier twin sister, comes in and starts teasing Aideen but Aideen snaps and chases Nuala with a hot poker but, luckily, Aideen's boyfriend splits them up before any harm can be done although Aideen doesn't really intend to hurt his sister. Poor Kevin, after dealing with his mother he's got to go home and deal with his daughter. Millie has agreed to a carer 20 hours each week to avoid a public trial but will Aideen agree to boarding school? This is a very promising debut novel which is sure to delight and amuse many readers.