Have Ye No Homes to Go to? [Paperback]

Other than geography and knobs, what makes Thompson stand out on his own? He's got a flair for crime. There’s good, evil, and the action of the two dukin' it out in his characters. Exciting things happen. Don’t let all the positive reviews by snobby literary types turn you off. These are page-turners. The trick that captured the critic crowd is that readers close Thompson’s books with true insights into love, nookie, music, family and the Dublin underworld.

A more ambitious book than "Jackie Loves Johnser OK?", "Have Ye..." gives us the lives of eight central characters who live within spitting distance of a pub. (Thus one slant on the barman’s closing-up cry of the title). We see where these people are and what factors have brought them here. There’s love, violence, music (one hilarious scene involving a punk band- dude!) The interaction is more complex, the trails just as honest. Also complex is the book’s structure- divided up into sections that focus on the view of one of the eight. There’s plenty enough crossover, people and events recurring, to keep a plot humming along. It’s interesting. It’s an experiment that works.

On the downside? A few elements of the conclusion are transparent (though the end still holds twists and surprises) and I found one of the characters a real moan. "Pick yerself up and do something about it, woman!" I felt like yelling, anytime one of her sections came up. But, she was just a character in a novel and not a real bird so I’d skim ahead ‘til the next interesting bit.

The book's worth a purchase for (the character) Joe Dolan alone.

Four solid stars out of five.

Mick says give this dude a read, if you want a peek at Dublin closer to the ground.

This book was an excellent read: I am not Irish but I like Irish humour, folk songs/music and Irish drama. The book seemed authentic Irish everything to me and had me putting off my other duties so that I could keep turning the pages.

The style of the book is that it takes each main character at a time: it tells their part of the story; and then moves on to another character. Since the characters are all intertwined, this style works well: for example, we have Simmo's story; and Simmo is involved with just about everyone since he's the moneylender. Davey's story is followed by Amanda's story: and these two are definitely intertwined!

I think it's fair to say that this is really a raw story: or a story that has raw elements to it. Definitely life in the raw that none of us would like to live, given the choice. Nevertheless, we find characters and elements that must appeal to us: Davey's wife can't get pregnant; and of course it must be her fault. Suddenly, we find that Davey's wife is pregnant ... yet she deals with the who and the how of it very smartly. Still, Thompson leaves me believing that this episode is but one cameo in a life of progress and reversals: Davey could come off the rails again!

Perhaps the saddest character in the book is Joe Dolan: tied to and dominated by his mother; effectively spat on by his brother and sisters; but able to find love and strength as the book comes to an end. Nevertheless, as Joe finds the strength to break free, his mother has one more trick up her sleeve and life has yet another crushing blow to deal this under-performing but likeable man.

I haven't read any of Thompson's other books but I'll certainly seek them out now: if they're of the standard of Have ye no homes to go to, it will be money and time well invested.