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Title/Author

Ghosts and Lightning

Trevor Byrne

Average Review Rating Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)
Book Details

Publisher : Canongate

Published : 2009

Copyright : Trevor Byrne 2009

ISBN-10 : PB 1-84767-329-5
ISBN-13 : PB 978-1-84767-329-9

Publisher's Write-Up

Happy or unhappy, all families are a mystery. None more than the Cullens. Having escaped their clutches and moved across the water, Denny is just beginning to make a life for himself when a call from his sister brings him back to Dublin, city of his birth. Back to square one. As if squabbling siblings and unhelpful childhood friends weren't trouble enough, a ghost starts making appearances in the family home and Denny's life starts to get a lot more complicated.

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Reader Reviews

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Review by Jessica (310809) Rating (8/10)

Review by Jessica
Rating 8/10
Denny Cullen has just been told his ma has died and now sister Paula wants him back in Dublin, back where he belongs. This is the start of Ghosts and Lightning which promises to be a huge hit. It is funny, poignant, scary but always very real. There aren't many books like this around.

Denny eventually returns home to his roots, a house Paula shares with lodgers. Here we are introduced to Paula's partner Teresa and also Denny's old friend Pajo. Pajo is described as a skinny bloke who endured a rough time as a drug addict but turned to religion to help him through life. He is also "mad into" ghosts and anything of the paranormal kind. He suggests they get together and do a séance to rid the house of a ghost Paula thinks may be haunting it. At breakfast over a bowl of Cheerios Denny hears a scream. The next part had me in fits of laughter.

Maggit is also another friend of Denny's; another character with a huge personality. However, I did wonder about the tale Maggit tells in the tent. It obviously has been taken from a well-known joke. Is this done on purpose? Either way it kind of works.

A party turns into chaos when drink and pills are involved. Headaches in the morning are the least of Denny's worries, especially when Slaughter turns up on the scene and later causes a fight to break out.

A drug overdose and a funeral are areas of Denny's life that cause him even more sadness. Is he finally succumbing to depression? Dublin just doesn't feel like the right place to be anymore. Too many people, too much trouble. How can Denny get out of this mess? He owes things which he doesn't want to give up.

I absolutely loved this book. It is very realistic to how life can be and how people are. I loved Denny but adored his friend Pajo who struck me as sweet natured. A book everyone will come to recognise and want to read. Brilliant!
Jessica (31st August 2009)

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