Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha - Roddy Doyle

Published by Vintage Books: London, 2010.
First published 1993.

This is a 'coming-of-age' story of sorts, starring ten-year-old Paddy Clarke. He hangs out with his mates, getting into low-level trouble (the sort that ten-year-old 'gangs' would get into) in his home town of Barrytown. The story is told from his perspective, and really leans into it, using short sentences and changing scenes abruptly, as if the ten-year-old narrator has suddenly thought of something else he wants to talk about. As the book progresses, Paddy's voice does mature a bit, but the overall timeframe of the narrative is not enough for him to change his narration style all that much.

Sometimes this 'purposefully simplistic' style can be to a book's detriment (Life and Times of Michael K springs to mind), but Doyle finds the balance - Paddy's story may meander but the innocent feel is enough to keep the reader hooked. 

This 'innocent' feel is slowly challenged as Paddy's world begins to shift. This 'loss of innocence' is symbolised by the growing housing complex of Barrytown - slowly the fields and streets that Paddy and his friends used to roam become fenced and housed. Paddy also begins to realise that his friend Kevin is not a good influence - though this takes him far longer than it would were he an adult. Paddy also begins to become aware of the dysfunctional nature of his parents' relationship, and this takes its toll on the whole family - Paddy and his brother both react differently to the fights they overhear, but neither react 'healthily.'

By the end of the book, a melancholic feel - which was there to a lesser extent at the beginning - has taken over from the innocent feeling at the beginning. 

For a Booker book, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha is relatively clean, mostly due to its narrator, although a few swear words and 'adult' themes begin to sneak in at patches (feeling authentic to the world of a 'rebellious' ten-year-old). Although it is not a book I would hurry to reread, it is well written, sad, and clever. Even the title itself, with the 'Ha Ha Ha' tacked on the end, turns out to be a dark punchline, where (for the majority of the book) it simply seems to represent Paddy's light-hearted world.

I think I enjoyed this one, for what it was. Still a bit 'ick' at times though.

Completed 16 February 2024.



(Bookerworm)

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