Apr 17, 2003 11:15 AM
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(Updated Apr 17, 2003 11:18 AM)
I suppose you need to have lived this life, at least in part, to truly recognise this book for all it's worth.
Silver spoons, lavish christmas mornings, a never ending supply of pocket money, parents who couldn't say ''NO!''. Hmmm...perhaps those amongst you currently nodding internally should steer clear if 'seeing how the other half live' isn't your idea of a gripping read. Then again, it could be an education if you've no idea how the poor manage from day to day.
'Paddy Clarke HaHaHa' is a memorable insight to the trauma, tragedy, love and laughter of 'blue collar' family life. The fact that the main protagonist is a mere ten years old only helps strengthen the narrative. Each turn of events throughout the book is laced with the innocence and confusion surely ALL of us have experienced at one time or another during childhood.
The book is more profound if you allow yourself to search through your own memories and connect to those of Paddy. It's not hard to do so if the home surroundings within the story and the events therein are familiar to you. Personally, they are...sometimes very much so. Doyle's observations, reactions and interpretations within the family unit are priceless. Anyone from a working class background will relate on every level. Read and be enriched....
