John the Revelator

Synopsis: John Devine yearns for escape. Stuck in a small town, he's worried over by his chain-smoking, bible-quoting single mother Lily and the sinister Mrs Nagle. So when Jamey Corboy, a self-styled boy-wonder, arrives in town, John's life suddenly fills with possibilities. But as they dream and scheme is John simply hiding from the reality of his mother's ill health, and the terrible dilemma that awaits him? Brilliantly evoking all the frustrations and pent up energy of a parochial adolescence, "John the Revelator" also gradually becomes the story of Lily herself, and the secrets of her past. Suffused with eerie imagery, black humour and told in hypnotic prose, "John the Revelator" is a novel to fall in love with.

Review: I don't know why me and this book didn't get on more, it has nothing to do with the writing which was superb, I think it was just that I wasn't in the mood for something fairly dark and depressing.

It's got a definite touch of the Roddy Doyle's about it (which under normal circumstances I would love,) it has his ironic humour and also his way with words, with short, punchy, matter of fact, sentences. I liked the way John's relationship with his mum Lily was played out and I loved Lily's dark Irish wit - she worries about him and he worries about her (with good cause as it turns out.) She says things like 'I knew you were a boy .. heartburn. Sure sign of a man in your life' and her answer for 'what's for dinner?' is 'pigs feet and hairy buttermilk'. They are protective of each other in a way that single parents and lone children often are .. they only have each other but Lily is unwell and increasingly so and John (who is fifteen) is naturally concerned. John is, by nature, a loner but when a new boy, James Corboy, comes to town, he recognises a kindred spirit and they join forces. John is happy to escape from his burdens for a while especially as James is cool and a little bit different and more daring than he, but he's not escaping, he's only hiding and sooner or later reality is back to claim him. James writes short stories and they, as well as John's nightmare dream sequences, are woven into the story supplying further insight and bolstering up a sort of creeping menace that builds as the story progresses.

Very melancholic and atmospheric, with a strong supernatural element weaving through. In a different frame of mind I might have loved this book but sadly as it got darker I began to wish for it to be over. I did love John and Lily and would have been happy to eavesdrop on their banter for ages ... but that probably wouldn't have made much of a story.