‘Boys don’t cry’ by Fíona Scarlett is the gritty and emotional tale of two Dublin brothers, 17 year old Joe and his 12 year old brother Finn, who live in a Dublin flats complex with their mother and father (occasionally), a local drug-dealing hard man.

 The story is told in alternative chapters from Finn’s perspective in the past, who we learn early on is ill, whilst Joe’s story takes place in the present. Both boy’s voices felt very authentic – I lived in Dublin for a bit and it was as if I was working in the North Inner city again, as the author does such a fine job of catching the humour of it. I actually preferred this to some of Roddy Doyles recent efforts.

Gritty Reality

 There’s a lot of gritty reality in this book – the flats are plagued by drug dealing, and it’s hard for youngsters not to get sucked into the lifestyle. Joe is determined not to, and is a promising student, but circumstances force him into some difficult choices. The class divide and how Joe is treated by the Gardai were also well done – like I say, having lived in Northside Dublin, as an outsider, some of these things were always apparent. Kids do well to overcome prejudices and access opportunities, as they’re up against it from the start. It’s the proverbial vicious circle.

 It is an emotional book and occasionally grim, with domestic violence, drugs and illness all to the fore, and such is the power of the writing that it always feels depressingly realistic. It’s also about grief, and as Joe shows Finn, living with hope. But I also found that Fíona Scarlett writes with a real warmth for the place and the community. The bond between the two boys is especially deep and moving and felt genuine.

Roles

‘Boys don’t cry’ is also about the roles expected in societies of men – that toxic masculinity we continually hear about. For men to be tough, to be providers, to not cry, for as Finn says at one stage:

 I’ve never seen Da cry. He tells us that crying is a sign of weakness. That boys don’t cry.

That boys should never cry. So we don’t. Ever. Unless we’re in private, when nobody sees.

 The women in this book are also strong and fully fleshed out characters, trying to guide the boys towards better choices and providing support. 

 My only quibble with the book is that one of the storylines reached a climax and despite reading over it a couple of times, I still couldn’t work out exactly what happened. I got the jist of it so it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book but I felt it could have been clearer.

Summary

 I appreciated how short ‘Boys don’t cry’ was – Fionna Scarlett had a story to tell and she told it in a certain amount of pages. I think there’s a lot to be said for that. Like I said at the start, this is an gritty and emotional book that will certainly pull at your heartstrings, but there’s also hope and warmth in there. I should say I think this book also works well for young adults. Definitely recommended.

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Book review - Boys don’t cry by Fíona Scarlett

146 pages

Published April 20, 2021 by Faber & Faber

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