Angela’s Ashes is a heartbreaking memoir by Frank McCourt. It opens when Frankie is still fairly young, barely a toddler actually who was not even four, and his family still lived in New York. They were Irish Roman Catholics and it was the 1930’s and the height of the depression. Frankie was the eldest child of four and frequently was asked to watch or help with his younger siblings. His mother, Angela, gave birth to a girl who died shortly thereafter and his family borrowed money from extended family and moved back to Ireland. His father, Malachy, was rather frequently drunk and spent all of his money on drinking. Upon arriving back in Ireland the family went on the dole but times were still fraught because his father was still drinking and was often out of work. As Frankie grew older he watched as his family continued to struggle to get by with his mother scrounging the best she could and his father proud and refusing to beg but constantly drinking any money away. The older he grew the more he tried to protect his siblings and make sense of his world as his family situation continued to deteriorate.
This particular book is a truly heartbreaking memoir of what it means to grow up in desperate situations. I can only imagine just how difficult such a childhood would have actually been like. What I found interesting about the book though was the narrative style. It may have been written long after the events it depicts but it is narrated as if the author was still that young boy. It is not framed or described as someone older looking back but as if the young boy is the one telling the story. I find this interesting because it changes the viewpoint of things in some surprising ways. The thought process about certain things is really hilarious because everything is couched in the understanding and frame of reference that would have actually been used by a young boy. It also means some things are undoubtedly exaggerated or underplayed because of that. This is not necessarily a bad thing but it is something to keep in mind when reading this. As an adult reading this I have a drastically different understanding of certain events that took place than the young boy who was narrating those events. It creates an interesting dichotomy as you have to parse the details in order to figure out what is actually going on at times. Honestly, it made for a sad and heartbreaking story at times but one that was also rather entertaining and hilarious as you watch young Frankie try to figure out the world around him. I am giving this book four out of five stars.
This book is a memoir and one that is extremely sad at that. It would probably hold the most appeal to readers who already tend to enjoy memoirs or for readers who like to hear more about growing up in Ireland or during the Great Depression and WWII. I would caution younger readers to be extremely careful about trying this as it deals with some pretty heavy topics such as losing siblings in childhood, alcoholism, the depression and the war amongst numerous others. While I would not say they should not read this I am saying they should be careful. I would suggest that only readers older than about fourteen or fifteen should read this though. The book was good and worth reading so consider trying it if this sounds like something you might like. As always feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.