“A Greyhound of a Girl,” by Roddy Doyle, Abrams, May 1, 2012, hardcover, $16.95 (ages 8 and up)
Though they’re often targeted to one specific group, some books are meant for all ages. Such is the case of “A Greyhound of a Girl,” by Roddy Doyle.
Mary O’Hara is a spunky 12-years-old living in Dublin who likes cooking and spending time with her mother, even if her mom has an annoying habit of ending each sentence with an exclamation point. But just recently Mary’s been going through a bit of rough stretch —her best friend moving away and her Granny being hospitalized.
Granny is dying, but she doesn’t want to let go. It appears there’s nothing Mary can do to help Granny until she meets a mysterious young woman named Tansey. Tansey has a message for Granny: “Tell your granny it’ll all be grand.” It’s a strange, simple message that starts Mary on a grand adventure. It turns out Tansey is the ghost of Granny’s own mother. She’s come to help her daughter say goodbye and move on. With the help of Mary and Mary’s mother, Scarlett, Tansey takes Granny on a road trip into the past,
“A Greyhound of a Girl” is a quiet book that won’t appeal to everyone. What some will find to be quirks and charms, others will find as distractions. Roddy Doyle’s prose is not your standard fare, and it takes a while to get used to it. Once you do, however, there’s a lilting quality that rolls the story forward at just the right pace.
For me, the appeal of this story came in the four women, all at different stages, but bound together in love. Mary is bright and exciting, not quite to the detached teenage stage. Scarlett is strong and sweet and has an infectious enthusiasm. Granny is kind and patient with a defiant streak. And Tansey is sure while being unpredictable. In these four women, I see bits of my own family — my mom, sister and my own Granny.
I found “A Greyhound of a girl to be delightfully fresh with a hint of rustic charm. There are layers to this novel not often seen in books geared toward young readers. It’s one book I’ll happy to share with fellow readers — young, old or in between.
