Review of Bobby's Boy by Mark Wilson

Bobby's Boy is an exceptional character driven story.  One of the first thoughts of describing this novel as I read it was that through each page I felt a quiet about it. Sort of like the quiet in the woods when snow is falling. It is a story of a life that anyone of us could have and Wilson tells it with such an easy, almost biographical, manner that you don't realize how wrapped up in the story you are until you are at the end and wanting more.  It was the "quiet" of this novel, the normality of the characters that make this novel work. As in real life it is the twists that we don't see coming that make this story compelling and sometimes heartbreaking.

I must confess some of the Scottish dialect had me running to Google to make sure I understood clearly what the characters sometimes were saying. But make no mistake, instead of this being a distraction it only gave the characters more depth and made me more interested. Tommy's career may be boring to some readers and the detail that Wilson goes into could be a distraction to some, but for me Tommy is a character that truly loves what he is doing and that joy is reflected in a flourishing life that I increasingly grew jealous of and then grew thankful that it wasn't me.

I could not post a review of this novel without mentioning the character of Uncle Alec, a hard edged, tough talking man. I found myself totally in love with him and the honesty that he maintained throughout the story. Through the toughness Wilson gives you a glimpse of the love this character has for family, friends and loving life in general and you realize there is a gentle man underneath who only wishes happiness for those he loves.

The more I read the more I fell in love with this novel, a novel of characters we all know in a world in which life is the unknown. I will definitely be reading this novel again. Job well done.

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