This is a wonderful read which has some of everything – nostalgia, warmth, grief, mystery, humour and strongly developed characters. Set mainly in Northern Ireland, the chapters alternate between 1989 and 2023. The book cover makes it look like any other heartwarming, book club kind of read, but it’s something quite special.
The story is told by Billy McQueen, who in his fifties returns to his hometown because his mother is in hospital. They haven’t been in contact since Billy came out as gay and she couldn’t accept it. What also draws Billy back is the unsolved disappearance of his best friend and secret boyfriend, Conor. Billy reunites with his friend Aine and they get on the trail of what really happened to Conor, with the starting point of a mixtape. The story is so well-structured and effectively told that I just wanted to keep on reading. It’s clear from the author’s note that much of the novel’s background was based upon the experiences of himself and people he knows, which explains why it felt so authentic.
Published by Embla, 2024.