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Mistaken (2011)

by Neil Jordan(Favorite Author)

3.34 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Soft Skull Press

review 1: I found the first half of this book a real struggle and only persevered after reading some reviews which said that after the first hundred pages it gets easier and it does. I had to keep reminding myself that it is set in the second half of the 20th century as it has a distinct gothic feel to it, partly due to the style of the writing and also to the continual references to Dracula and the fact that the main character grew up in the house next to Bram Stokers childhood home. It is an insight into the divide which everyone talks about in relation to Dublin, whether you are from the north or south side of the river and how we all feel that someone else seems to have a better life than we do and how that is not always the case. It is an interesting story of how these two boys... more and men who look so alike grow up in a capital city which is at its essence a large village where their paths cross in small and immense ways and has such an impact on their lives. I enjoyed the journey round Dublin with them and it brought back memories for me (I remembered visiting a college friend who worked with the patients in Portrane Physciatric hospital, they helped her look after the grounds and worked in the greenhouses). All in all it was an unusual book and when I got to the end I was relieved as I thought it was going to be one of those books that leaves you looking for the missing pages and that can be very annoying and frustrating but instead I was left with the feeling that he had told his story to the best of his ability and you could enjoy it or not.
review 2: I thought this was an interesting book which described the class distinctions in Dublin, contained some surprising plot twists and had thoughtful insights into the process of growing up. That said, it was very slow moving until that last quarter of the novel and many of the characters were left unsatisfyingly under-developed...including the narrator. Also, the device of telling the story to "you" was distracting and did little to serve the narrative. Worth reading but tough to get through. less

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