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Gallen’s darkly hilarious story about small-town life, mostly set in a chip shop, is a triumphant mix of deadpan humour and everyday heartbreak.
Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2020
Shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print Prize 2020
Routine makes Majella's world small but change is about to make it a whole lot bigger.
Stuff Majella knows:
-God doesn't punish men with baldness for wearing ladies' knickers
-Banana-flavoured condoms taste the same as nutrition shakes
-Not everyone gets a volley of gunshots over their grave as they are being lowered into the ground
Stuff Majella doesn't know:
-That she is autistic
-Why her ma drinks
-Where her da is
Other people find Majella odd. She keeps herself to herself, she doesn't like gossip and she isn't interested in knowing her neighbours' business. But suddenly everyone in the small town in Northern Ireland where she grew up wants to know all about hers.
Since her da disappeared during the Troubles, Majella has tried to live a quiet life with her alcoholic mother. She works in the local chip shop (Monday-Saturday, Sunday off), wears the same clothes every day (overalls, too small), has the same dinner each night (fish and chips, nuked in the microwave) and binge watches Dallas (the best show ever aired on TV) from the safety of her single bed. She has no friends and no boyfriend and Majella thinks things are better that way.
But Majella's safe and predictable existence is shattered when her grandmother dies and as much as she wants things to go back to normal, Majella comes to realise that maybe there is more to life. And it might just be that from tragedy comes Majella's one chance at escape.
Publisher: John Murray Press
ISBN: 9781529304206
Number of pages: 320
Weight: 420 g
Dimensions: 220 x 140 x 34 mm
I totally adored this book by Michelle Gallen. I was surprised to learn this is the author’s first novel - a magnificent début set in a small, close-knit town in Northern Ireland, called Aghybogey. The book follows a... More
I really enjoyed this book and I am hoping for a follow up. The story is a snapshot of Majella’s life, and we also learn about her past too. There is so much detail you really feel like you know her. The language used... More
I didn’t really know what to make of this when I finished it. But it’s been forty-two days and I’ve thought about Majella during every one of them.
I urge you to read this, it’s grim and dirty and downright...
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