The Butcher Boy
(Patrick McCabe)
A dark, disturbing piece of distinctively Irish fiction, which has since been adapted for film by acclaimed director Neil Jordan. Its protagonist, Francie Brady, is the son of an alcoholic father and deeply depressed mother, and turns to his comic-book-fueled imagination to escape. When things go terribly wrong at home, Francie embarks on a twisted sort of picaresque adventure that serves to further alienate him from his townsfolk. Soon, Francie, as well as the reader, has a hard time telling fantasy from reality, friend from foe, and his rage and self-loathing are directed at the imagined evils he sees around him, with tragic and deeply unsettling consequences. McCabe's prose is swift, delightfully idiosyncratic, and surprisingly funny, and Francie is a brilliantly-drawn character for whom we feel simultaneous sympathy and hatred. The Butcher Boy is an outstanding illustration of the roots of madness.
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