Number 39 - The Big Yaroo - Patrick McCabe

 I think this book is a classic example of setting my expectations too high.

This is Patrick McCabe's sequel to the Butcher Boy, which was almost a lifechanging book for me when I read it many many years ago. It was also filmed very memorably by Neil Jordan back in the 90s.

This picks up on Francie Bradie's life several decades later. He's still a resident in the psychiatric home he was committed to at the end of book one.

He's the editor and chief writer of a magazine for the inmates called "The Big Yaroo". He's received a worrying diagnosis from the doctors as regards his physical health, but he's planning the perfect escape.

We're introduced to a host of new characters and flashback cameos from some familiar faces from the first book.

And that's pretty much the whole book.  And therein lies my issue.

In the Butcher Boy, the story was always building up to something. There was a palpable tension as we realised the widening gap between young Francie's beliefs and the world he was actually living in. There were surprises and shocking moments. The plot moved in a straight line.

This sequel doesn't have any of those. We already know about the gulf between him and reality. There's no real build of tension even to the planned escape. The plot moves backwards and forwards so much that it becomes more difficult to interpret. We're following at least 4 sets of flashbacks that may or may not reflect actual events in his life.

There are moments of comedy and the prose is just wild. You can sit and let it wash over your brain and that's a remarkable craic all by itself. I think I might have enjoyed the story more if I'd allowed myself a few hours uninterrupted reading more often than I did during the last week. reading it piecemeal the way I did added to the confusion I think.

All in all, I think any problems I've had with this are down to me and not the book. I set my expectations so high, it was almost certainly not going to live up to them. I read the book in short segments rather than setting time aside to properly concentrate on it. 

One to reread another time maybe. when I can give it the attention it deserves.