The Butcher Boy - Softcover

McCabe, Patrick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0330328743 ISBN 13: 9780330328746

Publisher: Picador, 2002

Synopsis

"When I was a young lad, twenty or thirty or forty years ago, I lived in a small town where they were all after me on account of what I done on Mrs Nugent".

So speaks Francie Brady, the narrator and anti-hero of THE BUTCHER BOY . When the story begins Francie is a bit of a scamp, full of curiosity and mischief. Then an unpleasant encounter with Mrs Nugent on the subject of her son's missing comic books propels Francie to the brink of madness, and beyond.

McCabe's depiction of small-town Irish life and of one boy's deterioration into madness and despair is, surprisingly, one of the most raucous, earthy and horrifically hilarious stories of all time. Dark and gothic, funny and tragic, starring a child who retains the pathos of a grubby urchin even as he evolves into a monster, THE BUTCHER BOY is an absolute treasure.

About this title

Review

"I was thinking how right ma was--Mrs Nugent all smiles when she met us and how are you getting on Mrs and young Francis are you both well?...what she was really saying was: Ah hello Mrs Pig how are you and look Philip do you see what's coming now--The Pig Family!"

This is a precisely crafted, often lyrical, portrait of the descent into madness of a young killer in small-town Ireland. Short-listed for the Booker Prize.

Review

Shortlisted for the 1992 Booker Prize.

Winner of the "Irish Times"-Aer Lingus Literature Prize for Fiction.

"An almost perfect novel...A Beckett monologue with plot by Alfred Hitchcock...Startlingly original."
--"The Washington Post Book World"

"Stunning...part Huck Finn, part Holden Caufield, part Hannibal Lecter."
--"The New York Times Book Review"

"Brilliant, unique. Patrick McCabe pushes your head through the book and you come out the other end gasping, admiring, and knowing that reading fiction will never be the same again. It's the best Irish novel I've read in years."
--Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

"A chilling tale of a child's hell...often screamingly funny...the book has a compelling and terrible beauty."
--"The Boston Globe"

"Lyrical and disturbing, horrific and hilarious."
--"The New York Times"

"Patrick McCabe is an outstanding writer. The Butcher Boy is fearful, original, compelling and very hard to put out of your mind. American readers should pay close attention to this man."
--Thomas McGuane

Shortlisted for the 1992 Booker Prize.
Winner of the "Irish Times"-Aer Lingus Literature Prize for Fiction.
"An almost perfect novel...A Beckett monologue with plot by Alfred Hitchcock...Startlingly original."
--"The Washington Post Book World"
"Stunning...part Huck Finn, part Holden Caufield, part Hannibal Lecter."
--"The New York Times Book Review"
"Brilliant, unique. Patrick McCabe pushes your head through the book and you come out the other end gasping, admiring, and knowing that reading fiction will never be the same again. It's the best Irish novel I've read in years."
--Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
"A chilling tale of a child's hell...often screamingly funny...the book has a compelling and terrible beauty."
--"The Boston Globe"
"Lyrical and disturbing, horrific and hilarious."
--"The New York Times"
"Patrick McCabe is an outstanding writer. The Butcher Boy is fearful, original, compelling and very hard to put out of your mind. American readers should pay close attention to this man."
--Thomas McGuane

Shortlisted for the 1992 Booker Prize.
Winner of the Irish Times-Aer Lingus Literature Prize for Fiction.
"An almost perfect novel...A Beckett monologue with plot by Alfred Hitchcock...Startlingly original."
--The Washington Post Book World
"Stunning...part Huck Finn, part Holden Caufield, part Hannibal Lecter."
--The New York Times Book Review
"Brilliant, unique. Patrick McCabe pushes your head through the book and you come out the other end gasping, admiring, and knowing that reading fiction will never be the same again. It's the best Irish novel I've read in years."
--Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
"A chilling tale of a child's hell...often screamingly funny...the book has a compelling and terrible beauty."
--The Boston Globe
"Lyrical and disturbing, horrific and hilarious."
--The New York Times
"Patrick McCabe is an outstanding writer. The Butcher Boy is fearful, original, compelling and very hard to put out of your mind. American readers should pay close attention to this man."
--Thomas McGuane

Shortlisted for the 1992 Booker Prize.

Winner of the Irish Times-Aer Lingus Literature Prize for Fiction.

"An almost perfect novel...A Beckett monologue with plot by Alfred Hitchcock...Startlingly original."
--The Washington Post Book World

"Stunning...part Huck Finn, part Holden Caufield, part Hannibal Lecter."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Brilliant, unique. Patrick McCabe pushes your head through the book and you come out the other end gasping, admiring, and knowing that reading fiction will never be the same again. It's the best Irish novel I've read in years."
--Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

"A chilling tale of a child's hell...often screamingly funny...the book has a compelling and terrible beauty."
--The Boston Globe

"Lyrical and disturbing, horrific and hilarious."
--The New York Times

"Patrick McCabe is an outstanding writer. The Butcher Boy is fearful, original, compelling and very hard to put out of your mind. American readers should pay close attention to this man."
--Thomas McGuane

About this edition

• Publisher: Picador
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0330328743
• ISBN 13: 9780330328746
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224