Finished Tu 7/31/12
I read about two thirds of this, and then skimmed to the end. It's kind of a poetic or lyrical 'coming of age' tale. The story is in in Barrow, England which is in Northwest England (North of Blackpool) and features Albert 'Shoe' Horn. He is a seventeen year old apprenticed plumber who must take care of his mentally challenged brother, Bobby. Their mother has recently died, and they live with their alcoholic and abusive father. Shoe is a semi-professional fighter, and some of the novel concerns his fights and the colorful characters that are part of this brutal sport. A notable friend is 'McAvy' who is a huge, yet tender giant of a man who seems to be the emotional center of the young Horn's lives.
I had high hopes for this novel, but it never took off for me. The book charts Shoe's adventures in Love, Work, and Sex, but I couldn't relate to it. The characters are well-developed, but not a lot happens. Or, most of what happens is internalized, and the book could have been a real page-turner, but seemed far too introspective for my taste. The story and the setting would have benefited with a more realistic writing style rather than the poetic or dreamy approach that McLarty employs. However, I plan to give McLarty's THE MEMORY OF RUNNING a look.
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