Strange, darkly comic, and tragic are words that come to mind about Little Cruelties . Three brothers are at a funeral and one if them is in the coffin. But which one? What follows is the fascinating story of the Drumme family. The dysfunctional Dublin dwellers take turns depicting the events of their childhood and adulthood leading up to the present day funeral.
Reading like a soap opera script, we learn of eldest brother William who from his youth takes whatever he wants no matter who it hurts. His misogynism leads him into the film business where he makes a name for himself in Ireland and eventually beyond. Middle child Brian struggles with floundering professional aspirations and feelings of inadequacy stuck between his brothers. Brian covets what each of his brothers have and his jealousies are his motivations. Youngest (and possibly the most sympathetic) brother Luke struggles with serious and vague mental health problems and while in his twenties finds himself in the unlikely and remarkable position of being a European teen heartthrob.
The Drumme family's caring father dies when they were young. Their mother is a chilly diva who treats them, especially youngest Luke, terribly. The behaviors of almost all of the Drumme family are at best imperfect, at worst deplorable. But like all characters, alas all people, The Drummes are multi-faceted, demonstrating redeeming qualities along with the loathsome. That's what's compelling. The mystery of the funeral introduced at the beginning drives the plot and the massively imperfect yet engaging characters give it color and lead up to the chilling culmination.
Crucially deadpan and matter-of-fact, this non-linear story was impressive yet felt a little like it had an identity crisis. Liz Nugent writes with a clean and distinct style that illustrates the complicated dynamics of the brothers and moves the compulsively readable story along. I give it a 4/5.
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