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Christopher Owens has just completed reading a sequel thirty years after the original.

Imagine being locked up in 1962.

Think of what you'd have missed: Kennedy assassination, Beatles vs Stones, Paris uprising, the Northern conflict, punk, Thatcherism, the end of history, September 11th, Iraq, Sunn O))) as well as many a recession.

Could you imagine the sort of person who would be in such a position?

Why, none other than Francie Brady.

Locked up in Fizzbag Mansions at the end of The Butcher Boy, it seemed that we would never hear from the Dennis the Menace/Jack the Ripper hybrid ever again. Certainly, author Patrick McCabe didn't seem interested in revisiting the character until his 2016 play 'The Leaves of Heaven' (which The Big Yaroo is based on).

Writing a sequel to a masterpiece is a tall order. Writing it nearly 30 years later? That's something else altogether. The passage of time, multiple interpretations (be they film, play, radio etc) and the influence all come together to create a mountain on which The Butcher Boy sits. Therefore, you would hope that McCabe knows what he's doing.

Thankfully, he does. By the end of the first chapter, the reader recognises Francie. Sure, he's in his 60's now but he still has that boyish enthusiasm that made him so compelling originally.

However, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Francie's time away has caused his imagination to expand in ways that were previously recognisable, but now leave you wondering if he's actually discussing real life people. Also, he rewrites history in places when he refers to Philip Nugent being one of his mates (something that he certainly wasn't in The Butcher Boy).

Sadness hangs over the tale: Francie has no friends left, bar an old lady by the name of Mrs. Beacon who works as a cleaner. Uncle Alo, the prodigal uncle vilified by Francie's father, is reported to have died alone in a nursing home. Francie has been diagnosed with cancer and many of the long term residents of Fizzbag have either died or been moved.

This Francie is one who knows that he doesn't have long, so he ploughs his energy into two areas: his magazine The Big Yaroo and escaping from Fizzbag.

Is this an act of utter delusion? Is it a manifestation of him coming to terms with his actions? Is he toying with the audience? What is it?

Who knows but all that matters for the most part is the journey, and McCabe has to be commended for not simply rehashing old ideas, but expanding upon them and adding layers to a deeply troubled character as well as concluding his story in a manner that is both deeply poignant and also ambiguous.

Time, and subsequent re-readings, will tell if this stands up with The Butcher Boy. But, upon first reading, The Big Yaroo is a beautiful continuation of a masterpiece that reflects the disillusionment of modern Ireland and the disparity between itself and it's recent past.

Patrick McCabe, 2019, The Big Yaroo. New Island Books ISBN-13: 978-1848407411

⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland.

The Big Yaroo

Christopher Owens has just completed reading a sequel thirty years after the original.

Imagine being locked up in 1962.

Think of what you'd have missed: Kennedy assassination, Beatles vs Stones, Paris uprising, the Northern conflict, punk, Thatcherism, the end of history, September 11th, Iraq, Sunn O))) as well as many a recession.

Could you imagine the sort of person who would be in such a position?

Why, none other than Francie Brady.

Locked up in Fizzbag Mansions at the end of The Butcher Boy, it seemed that we would never hear from the Dennis the Menace/Jack the Ripper hybrid ever again. Certainly, author Patrick McCabe didn't seem interested in revisiting the character until his 2016 play 'The Leaves of Heaven' (which The Big Yaroo is based on).

Writing a sequel to a masterpiece is a tall order. Writing it nearly 30 years later? That's something else altogether. The passage of time, multiple interpretations (be they film, play, radio etc) and the influence all come together to create a mountain on which The Butcher Boy sits. Therefore, you would hope that McCabe knows what he's doing.

Thankfully, he does. By the end of the first chapter, the reader recognises Francie. Sure, he's in his 60's now but he still has that boyish enthusiasm that made him so compelling originally.

However, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Francie's time away has caused his imagination to expand in ways that were previously recognisable, but now leave you wondering if he's actually discussing real life people. Also, he rewrites history in places when he refers to Philip Nugent being one of his mates (something that he certainly wasn't in The Butcher Boy).

Sadness hangs over the tale: Francie has no friends left, bar an old lady by the name of Mrs. Beacon who works as a cleaner. Uncle Alo, the prodigal uncle vilified by Francie's father, is reported to have died alone in a nursing home. Francie has been diagnosed with cancer and many of the long term residents of Fizzbag have either died or been moved.

This Francie is one who knows that he doesn't have long, so he ploughs his energy into two areas: his magazine The Big Yaroo and escaping from Fizzbag.

Is this an act of utter delusion? Is it a manifestation of him coming to terms with his actions? Is he toying with the audience? What is it?

Who knows but all that matters for the most part is the journey, and McCabe has to be commended for not simply rehashing old ideas, but expanding upon them and adding layers to a deeply troubled character as well as concluding his story in a manner that is both deeply poignant and also ambiguous.

Time, and subsequent re-readings, will tell if this stands up with The Butcher Boy. But, upon first reading, The Big Yaroo is a beautiful continuation of a masterpiece that reflects the disillusionment of modern Ireland and the disparity between itself and it's recent past.

Patrick McCabe, 2019, The Big Yaroo. New Island Books ISBN-13: 978-1848407411

⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland.
Book Reviews Christopher Owens

1 comment:

  1. Niall1:52 PM, December 27, 2019

    That's one the books I bought for herself as a Christmas pressie.... I will wait and see what she thinks...

    ReplyDelete

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