Books Books Books - The Other Boy - Yvonne Cassidy

Read lots of books on holidays - it's all a bit of blur now, but I'll try to remember the ones I liked the best.

First of all - the other boy by Yvonne Cassidy. This is Yvonne's first book, and I really enjoyed reading it. It's set in 2 timelines and locations - childhood scenes in Sallynoggin, and adult life and recent past in London. It's the story of JP (John-Paul) Whelan and how he tries to escape his past. Of course, we all know you can never really erase your past, so, there are consequences for JP. He's got the perfect job, the perfect girlfriend, and he's just become father to a perfect little girl. So much to lose. So much to fight for. How will it work out for him? And, of course, how did he become the man he is? Why does he find it so hard to tell the truth about his past? Is it all his fault? Why does he feel so insecure?

In some ways, it's a very simple story, with some elements you will find in a lot of Irish books & plays (for instance, the abuse of alcohol by one of the family members). But it's well written, and the characters did get under my skin. I finished it in 2 days. Looking forward to Yvonne Cassidy's next book already!