Where are the Kings by Donal Ryan

Twelve year old Jack recently lost his parents in tragic circumstances. After his Irish mother died by suicide, his Czechoslovakian father was confined to an institution ‘for his nerves’. Jack’s maternal grandparents put aside their grief to take in the bereaved child and surround him with love. From what was once the family farm Jack’s uncles Theo and Haulie run a successful car repair business, his Aunt Rose teaches in a primary school and slow-witted sixteen year old JJ tries to keep up.

Jack is experiencing deep emotional conflict, so his response to his new life is confused. His imagination roams without bounds, and guilt is never far from his mind. Grief drives him to revisit the place where his mother died and the house where he lived with his parents. He longs to be with his father, even when this puts him in danger. At the same time, Jack loves the extended family he is getting to know, even though he finds them bewildering. When his adolescent body reacts to the beauty of his young aunt, who was almost a stranger to him, he is surprised and shocked.

Donal Ryan writes lyrically about everyday life in rural Tipperary, as seen through the eyes of a young boy living through unimaginable change. Clever Jack knows there are secrets in the lives of those closest to him, but how is he to learn what they are? His Nana rules her brood with a firm but gentle hand, nurturing them with fruit cake and days at the seaside, while keeping the lid on the past. There are moments in the book when the reader cannot tell what is real and what is a figment of Jack’s adolescent imagination. Nevertheless, we always feel he is safe in the arms of his family.

Highly recommended.

Thank you @doubledayukbooks and @randomthingstours for giving me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.