Anne Donovan

This book is truly wonderful, from beginning to end. The story is told from three points of view: the father, Jimmy, the Da of the title, a house painter and former punk who discovers Buddhism; Liz, his wife; and Anne Marie, their teenage daughter.

Each viewpoint character is beautifully illuminated and their thoughts being expressed in a Glaswegian accent adds a wonderful feel to the book. It did take me a page or two or five to get used to, but it was a very good idea of Donovan's to write it as they would speak it.

As usual I won't go into the plot as you can find that out easily enough. I'll just write that watching them live their lives and rub against each other and, yes, I'll say it, grow in their own sometimes challenging ways, is a very satisfying experience. My only regret is that Jimmy's voice is heard less in the later stages of the book then I would have liked. But at the same time, Liz's voice is strengthening and Anne Marie's world is changing brilliantly.

If you want to book that makes you think a lot (but not in a dreadful and dry sort of way), cringe a little, laugh out loud, and smile, this is a great one to grab.… (mere)

A sensitive portrait of a Glaswegian family in the early 2000s, written in local dialect, which it is fairly simple to pick up and which adds to the authenticity of the novel. It is told in alternating chapters by the family members: Jimmy, the father; Liz, the mother; and Anne Marie, the 12 year old daughter. As Jimmy follows an increasing interest in Buddhism, his behaviour leads to strains with Liz, which Anne Marie on the cusp of puberty, finds difficult to understand. The marriage of Jimmy and Liz is put in further doubt when Jimmy decides to become celibate and after further arguments, moves out to sleep at the Buddhist centre. The novel is entertaining, at times humorous, but also a moving and revealing examination of the challenges of marriage as people change over the years and seeks to find accommodations with their personal growth and family life.… (mere)