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4.0 out of 5 stars
A novel something like Angela's Ashes, Jul 6 2002
Holy Pictures is set in Dublin, probably around the turn of the 20th Century, though it doesn't say exactly when. The novel centers around the Cantwell family, notably daughter Nan. Papa Cantwell owns a (blush) corset factory. But ladies are turning from steel-belted, all-weather laced corsets to rubberized, comfortable (well, relatively comfortable) models. Mr. Cantwell is as inflexible as his corsets and seeks to contour the past as tightly as cinched waists. Modernize? Not he! And there are predictable consequences to his business. He's a boor and a brute. His wife is a typical gentile booby, drifing along or actually drifting downwards with her husband. She's hapless against the tides of ruin that are washing up on their middle-class conventional life. She goes to the hairdresser, neglects the housekeeping and the kids. Nan does well in school and tries to make sense of the increasing disorder in the family. For Mr. Cantwell, it would seem, has a past, a past that comes back in the shape of a bundle of letters written in spindly green ink. Nan's coming-of-age as a woman is shot through with the sins of the adults in her life. Truly, the sins of the fathers are in this case, visited on the children. She notes that "grownups get money for nothing." and that they take advantage of the weak, even children, whenever they can. The "nothing" is of course, not "nothing", and Nan finds out about the facts of life a bit too late as always. This is a fine, fine first novel and really has only the flaw of being over-ambitious and a bit exotic. The events are crammed in, doubtless from the author's incredible creativity and observant eye and ear. First novels sometimes are a bit over-stuffed, and despite the fact this is not a long book, it is very packed with events, characters, and imagery. But this is a minor literary criticism. This is a wonderful book to read, and if you can find a copy of it, do so. You will probably enjoy it as much as I did. I'm comparing "Holy Pictures" to Angela's Ashes (which was a memoir.) So the comparison is only that Boylan writes of tough times growing up in Ireland, and that the protagonist is a bright, worthy character surrounded by less-than-sterling adults. There, the comparison ends. But if you liked Angela's Ashes, you will very probably like "Holy Pictures." Unfortunately, it is out of print, but used copies are available, or maybe your librarian was of a literary bent and bought a copy for your town. I hope so.
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