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Books like The Children of Dynmouth

The Children of Dynmouth

1995William Trevor

4.9/5

CONTAINS SPOILERS The main character comes across at first as a special ed kid, but as the story evolves we see that he is truly mentally disturbed. He’s an older teenager who is cast aside by his family. He has no father and his mother and older sister are good buddies, laughing, smoking, eating together, while he fends for himself on leftovers in his room. So he wanders the town stealing petty things and small amounts of money, getting into trouble and doing odd jobs for people. He’s the type who tells corny puns, repeats them and then says “do you get it” and still explains it to you. A minster with infinite patience tries to help steer the young boy straight.The boy hatches a plan to present a bizarre play in a local talent show. It’s a parody of a famous murderer who killed women in their baths --- just what you want at church-sponsored event in a small town. But with age he has become vicious; basically blackmailing people to get the props he needs for his play. He gets his blackmail material from what he has seen peering and listening through windows and spying around town. He knows why a son has ruined his parents by running off, never to come home again; he knows that the retired military commander has his eyes on the cub scouts at the beach; he knows which women regularly meet the local Lothario in the public restroom. (Thus the origin of the expression “Get a room!” although we know that unmarried people could not do that in those days in a small Irish town.) Two other main characters are a young girl and boy whose parents just married after the death of the man’s wife. The malicious kid concocts a story with just enough bits of truth that has them believing that the man, now their father, murdered his first wife. It’s a good read. Like other Trevor stories, it’s about lonely, listless people trapped in a stifling small town in Ireland a generation or more ago. My thanks to Nancy Oakes for recommending this book to me. photo from inroadsireland.com

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