4.5 stars
Really, really enjoyed this one. It made me laugh out loud in several places, it also made my well up in others. I loved the characters, I thought they were all very well realized, especially Billy and Debbie and Xanthe. And I loved the message of the book - that accepting help might be the biggest favour you can do for yourself, that and accepting who you are.
The premise is this: Debs is 18 and starting Trinity. She has lived all her life on a dairy farm in Kildare, with just annual trips to the Big Smoke of Dublin with her uncle Billy. While she tries to cope with all the things university life throw at you, her family life is imploding; her mum's mental health takes a severe turn for the worse in the second half of the book, as does her uncle's. Debs might not think she can cope with all of these pressures, but the reader knows she can!
Will be eagerly awaiting Ms Nealon's next offering!
Really, really enjoyed this one. It made me laugh out loud in several places, it also made my well up in others. I loved the characters, I thought they were all very well realized, especially Billy and Debbie and Xanthe. And I loved the message of the book - that accepting help might be the biggest favour you can do for yourself, that and accepting who you are.
The premise is this: Debs is 18 and starting Trinity. She has lived all her life on a dairy farm in Kildare, with just annual trips to the Big Smoke of Dublin with her uncle Billy. While she tries to cope with all the things university life throw at you, her family life is imploding; her mum's mental health takes a severe turn for the worse in the second half of the book, as does her uncle's. Debs might not think she can cope with all of these pressures, but the reader knows she can!
Will be eagerly awaiting Ms Nealon's next offering!