| Edition |
First U.S. edition. |
| Description |
469 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm |
| Note |
Includes reading group guide. |
| Summary |
The "Gamal" in Collins's debut novel is Charlie McCarthy, a socially impaired Ballyronan man in his mid-twenties. He narrates the story of Sinéad and James, young lovers who, like Charlie, do not fit into the insular life of a County Cork village. Sinéad and James dream of escape (perhaps even bringing Charlie with them), but events beyond their control separate them and reveal a fragility in their relationship that is exploited and abused by their peers. Sinéad and James pay a tragic price for being too kind, too talented, and too much in love in a town where envy and mediocrity reinforce social ambitions and expectations. As Charlie observes and records the fate of his only friends, his dark, peculiar nature becomes suspect. |
| Subject |
Youths' writings -- Fiction.
|
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Psychotherapy patients -- Fiction.
|
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Youth -- Psychology -- Fiction.
|
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Friendship in youth -- Fiction.
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Bereavement in youth -- Fiction.
|
| Genre/Form |
Psychological fiction.
|
| ISBN |
9781608198757 alkaline paper |
|
1608198758 alkaline paper |
|
