Boys Don't Cry

Full review available at https://talesfromabsurdia.com/book-reviews/boys-dont-cry-review/
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This is Dublin.

Except in Boys Don't Cry, there's no Grafton Street or Temple Bar. This is real, lived-in Dublin.

We're transported to a block of flats named ‘The Jax,' – after the famed Mother Teresa Bojaxhiu – where Joe and Finn O'Reilly live, along with their parents.

Under a bleak backdrop, Boys Don't Cry navigates the often complex landscapes of adolescence and grief. It's masterfully done – a real standout novel.

I do wish it was slightly longer, however.

The novel is well paced for the most part, but a major incident that occurs in the final few chapters of the novel raises a host of questions about the fate of certain characters - questions I was desperate for answers to.

On the whole though, Boys Don't Cry is an emotionally-driven, sometimes dark, but overall endearing examination of adolescence, grief, and the pressures faced by young men in a hyper-masculine environment.

Thoroughly recommended.