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Ellen Isaacs | |
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Charming Billy is the story of an Irish American man in New York who has just died of alcoholism as the book opens. As a young man, Billy falls in love with young woman during a summer on Long Island and plans to marry her, but events separate them after she has to return to her native Ireland. Billy later marries and, although he remains loyal to his wife and never speaks to her of his earlier love, his life is defined by this disappointment. The book tells the story of Billy through a series of flashbacks as well as through the stories of the friends and family who survive him, all of whom attend his wake and attend to his widow after it is over. I am not especially familiar with the Irish American community, but I got the feeling that someone who grew up in this culture would frequently be nodding their heads in recognition. The community depicted seemed extremely close and supportive of each other; it was assumed that Billy's wife could call upon a number of friends in the middle of the night to help her carry Billy home when he'd had too much to drink. Everyone seemed to know everyone else's business, and they frequently tried to intervene. Everyone's joys and sorrows (especially sorrows) were shared by all. I think the point of the book was to portray the life of this community, and perhaps to show it as a reflection of all families, and I think it succeeds in this. It is nicely written and flows well. Having said all that, I found I wasn't able to get deeply involved in the characters and the events that affected them, instead I seemed to read it more as a cultural essay. I'm not sure why this was, but I suspect others will be more affected by this book if it strikes more chords of recognition.
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