Ten-year-old Michael Donnelly has a dog called Killer, an almost-telepathic relationship with his sister Wee Maggie, and a bit of a crush on the girl down the street. He’s also got a father who breaks promises and a bullish older brother who calls him ‘gay’. When Michael finds a gun in the dog’s kennel, it throws a bit of a spanner into the puberty vs childhood bag of worms he deals with every day.
Paul McVeigh had me at the first sentence of this wonderfully witty and highly original book. His characters burst with truth and authenticity and his dialogue had me laughing out loud (which doesn’t happen often). For a first novel, this is a pretty mean achievement and I can’t help wonder what Mr McVeigh will hit us with next. Whatever it is, it’ll be good.
Colin Garrow 