Book of the Month - By Kathleen Thorne

Boy in the World
By Niall Williams

Published by Harper Collins
Price €14.99

Jay is a youngster on the cusp of adolescence. In the first paragraph of the book we are told that "the secret the boy sought was who he was to become." And there begins his journey into the discovery of who he is and who he is to become.

This journey starts in dramatic fashion in the middle of Jay's confirmation ceremony when he downfaces the bishop, refuses the sacrament and runs out of the church. Marie, Jay's mother, wrote a letter to him before she died attempting to explain the circumstances of his birth. She asked her father, the master of the local school, to give it to her son when he was thirteen. The master gives it to his grandson on his confirmation morning.

Jay discovers that his father is possibly still alive and knows nothing of his existence. The letter provides scant information about his father and even this is minimised by Jay's impetuous attempt to burn the letter before reading it. Abruptly he takes his passport, leaves the house and sets out to find his father whom he believes is in London working for the BBC.

Significantly he starts his journey at night. "The dark he plunged into was thick and blinding." The journey however, it is both fraught with dangers and rich in opportunities. In the course of his travels he meets many people, some who help and some who hinder his progress. Those who assist him also find opportunities to make serious progress in their own life's journey. One such character is Sister Bridget. She and Jay meet up while travelling to England. Ostensibly she is returning to her convent in the Midlands. However she takes an interest in Jay, realises he is alone and unsure of where he is going. She chooses not to return to her convent and becomes something akin to his guardian angel in the course of his search for his father. Together they have to endure and cope with a terrorist attack in London where many are killed and mayhem ensues. She ends up accompanying him to Africa and, in the process, finds new meaning for herself in her own life. One of Jay's more frightening

experiences is his encounter with street children, drug addicts and thieves. Through his contact with them he meets Nuno, who becomes blinded in the course of a fracas. Jay becomes his friend and eventually finds an opportunity to become Nuno's 'eyes', thereby leading him to safety.

Jay's grandfather, the schoolmaster, is the fount of much wisdom in the book. His influence is pervasive, despite the fact that he has to bow out of the active story on that fateful confirmation day. His influence is an important guiding force in allowing Jay to pursue his personal journey.

This is essentially a book about spiritual journeys and the discovery of personal meaning. If the reader accepts the possibility of telepathic communication, and the interconnectedness inherent in life, then this book will prove most satisfying. Besides, it is a very good read.

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