Pure Innocent Boy

Pure Innocent Boy ends in tragedy. It is one which could have easily been avoided, all that was needed was a bit more time and love from other members of his family to Tadhg. It is a novel which touches the heart. Pure Innocent Boy also offers a state of the nation view of Ireland as seen from the bottom of society. Tadhg Kelly suffered a mental breakdown after his mother died. Now he is trying to find his way in a world where he no longer fits. He gets a job in the local toy shop and seems, on the surface, to be finding stability. But in truth he is drifting, and it is only a matter of time before he crashes again. Tadhg's brother Damien seems to have his own life together married to Eileen, with two lovely little boys but he's got his own demons. And Eileen does her best to hold it all together, but sometimes it's just too much. Tadhg's father, a man of few words, has no time for his son. Interspersing Tadhg's diary entries with first-person accounts by Damien and Eileen, Pure Innocent Boy is a poignant, aching character study about masculinity, mental health and grief that slowly builds in power.