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HellFire
On a midsummer’s evening a young Dublin woman, Lucy Dolan, prepares for a showdown that will help make sense of a heart-breaking and brutal atrocity that happened thirteen years earlier, changing her life forever. As she waits for the arrival of the charismatic figure who is the key to the mystery, she recounts her life story – a rich and extraordinary tale spanning two generations of storytellers and deal-makers, fortune-tellers and gamblers, businessmen and warlords, and the people that feared, served and betrayed them. With each twist of this tumultuous story Lucy revisits her childhood and early adolescence – trying to get her head around the things people do in the name of love and hate, greed and desire – and she pieces together afresh the events that led to the night that still haunts her.
600 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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208 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 6, 2013
This is a book that crackles. It is one of the finest books to come out of Ireland in the last 10 years. It brought me right into a world that's right under my nose - the world of the gangland. The voice of the character is so strong. You really feel you know what it's like to be one of those Merchant's Quay junkies. It takes real skill to get readers to sympathise with a character you'd otherwise run across the street to avoid.
The plot is a little hard to follow at times and it's written in Dublinese. This may explain why the book didn't quite the attention it deserved from the literati, but if you want a read that'll stretch and invigorate you, this is it. Fervently hope Mia's second novel sees the light of day.
The plot is a little hard to follow at times and it's written in Dublinese. This may explain why the book didn't quite the attention it deserved from the literati, but if you want a read that'll stretch and invigorate you, this is it. Fervently hope Mia's second novel sees the light of day.
April 10, 2010
I loved this book. I loved the characterisations, and the way the story unfolded as the book progressed. I couldn't wait to get back to it when I wasn't reading it.
I thought the spelling to affect the Dublin accent might soon grow to irritate, but instead it faded into the background and wasn't noticeable after a while.
Dark, menacing, brooding - but always captivating.
I thought the spelling to affect the Dublin accent might soon grow to irritate, but instead it faded into the background and wasn't noticeable after a while.
Dark, menacing, brooding - but always captivating.
June 24, 2015
I enjoyed the book - obviously; it's set in Dublin and is primarily about constructing a life story out of unreliable memories, so my scholarly interests are piqued - but it was probably at least 30% longer than it should have been. Additionally, one of the blurbs on the back cover is fairly misleading - "The darker, grungier, flipside to Harry Potter, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" - which made me a bit impatient with the book at times. That's a shame, because it's quite good at what it does - which I suppose is "dark and grungy" - but the fact that there are some (mostly background) supernatural elements to the novel doesn't warrant a mention of two other texts that are doing quite different things with the supernatural.
October 29, 2019
A gorgeously devastating epic narrated by a violent junkie who's just been released from prison. It took me a few chapters to warm up to Lucy, but she quickly became one of the most unique and fully realized main characters that I've ever encountered. She addresses her story to a man from her past, and as she tries to make sense of a tragedy that fractured their tumultuous relationship she narrates not only her own childhood, but also her family history, and the birth of gangland Dublin.
Hellfire is difficult to catagorize. It's violent and unrelenting, but also touching and sweet. It's part impeccably researched historical fiction, part poetic literary masterpiece, part YA coming of age, part multi-generational family saga, part furious social commentary, and part magical realism. It's a big book, and the first half is slow-going at times. Once Lucy's story reaches the night of the 'event' she's been building up to, however, all the strands start to come together, and the story gallops off at breakneck speed, leading to one hell of an ending that stayed with me long after I finished.
Hellfire is difficult to catagorize. It's violent and unrelenting, but also touching and sweet. It's part impeccably researched historical fiction, part poetic literary masterpiece, part YA coming of age, part multi-generational family saga, part furious social commentary, and part magical realism. It's a big book, and the first half is slow-going at times. Once Lucy's story reaches the night of the 'event' she's been building up to, however, all the strands start to come together, and the story gallops off at breakneck speed, leading to one hell of an ending that stayed with me long after I finished.
February 2, 2008
I learned that pretty much entire Dublin was a ghetto until recently. I learned what the Hellfire Club -legend is. I learned a lot of swear words in "dublinese". I now know what a "Jo maxi" is.
The book tells the story of Lucy from childhood to adulthood; a poor family, in a poor area of the city, with not many prospects. It was completely different from what I expected and what the "dark side of Harry Potter"-quote on the cover indicates, but a real page turner. Rarely have I had such mixed feelings of the main character and had so little clue as to how the book will end.
The book tells the story of Lucy from childhood to adulthood; a poor family, in a poor area of the city, with not many prospects. It was completely different from what I expected and what the "dark side of Harry Potter"-quote on the cover indicates, but a real page turner. Rarely have I had such mixed feelings of the main character and had so little clue as to how the book will end.
February 17, 2025
If this wasn’t a travel read I’m not sure I would have reached the finish line, although I’m very glad I did.
I was torn between three and four stars when rating this novel on account of its extreme length and required commitment. Gallagher recounts the treacherous life of Lucy Dolan, navigating heroin use, domestic abuse, gang violence, struggles of sexuality and thwarted friendships in Dublins inner city. On reflection, it’s this “no detail spared” approach to storytelling which makes this book so valuable.
By giving due consideration to each formative stage of the protagonists life a brutally honest depiction of social and economic injustice unfolds. This is done with an appropriate (yet hard to stomach) lack of positive relief. This approach summons huge levels of empathy, depicting symbolic characters who we can neither villainise, glorify or sensationalise. The result is a highly nuanced and important piece of literature which wouldn’t have been achievable if shortened for readers pleasure. Discovering that the novel was originally intended as a play also helped give the lengthy passages of (sometimes hard to follow) dialogue more grace.
Although not my usual genre, this is a true example of storytelling and an extremely valuable piece of Irish literature.
I was torn between three and four stars when rating this novel on account of its extreme length and required commitment. Gallagher recounts the treacherous life of Lucy Dolan, navigating heroin use, domestic abuse, gang violence, struggles of sexuality and thwarted friendships in Dublins inner city. On reflection, it’s this “no detail spared” approach to storytelling which makes this book so valuable.
By giving due consideration to each formative stage of the protagonists life a brutally honest depiction of social and economic injustice unfolds. This is done with an appropriate (yet hard to stomach) lack of positive relief. This approach summons huge levels of empathy, depicting symbolic characters who we can neither villainise, glorify or sensationalise. The result is a highly nuanced and important piece of literature which wouldn’t have been achievable if shortened for readers pleasure. Discovering that the novel was originally intended as a play also helped give the lengthy passages of (sometimes hard to follow) dialogue more grace.
Although not my usual genre, this is a true example of storytelling and an extremely valuable piece of Irish literature.
January 4, 2025
Hands down the best book I’ve ever read and I have a personal vendetta against Mia Gallagher for not writing another book
I adore books with a strong older brother and the Irish nuance and history of storytelling is exceptional.
FAVOURITE EXTRACT
Maybe it's just that he did love her, in his own way, and she loved him, in hers, and that's why he tried ta go clean when he came out and that's why she took him in after sayin she wouldn't.
They done it for themselves, sure, for the comfort a havin back what they were useta, but maybe they done it for each other too.
I don't like thinkin a things that way. Ya know me, Nayler, 1 believe we're all out for ourselves and that love is just sex dressed up so it looks nicer in the mirror, some trick played on us ta knock us off track. Maybe I'm right but still ... it's a funny thing, love; it's like glue. It binds the maddest people together in the maddest ways.
I adore books with a strong older brother and the Irish nuance and history of storytelling is exceptional.
FAVOURITE EXTRACT
Maybe it's just that he did love her, in his own way, and she loved him, in hers, and that's why he tried ta go clean when he came out and that's why she took him in after sayin she wouldn't.
They done it for themselves, sure, for the comfort a havin back what they were useta, but maybe they done it for each other too.
I don't like thinkin a things that way. Ya know me, Nayler, 1 believe we're all out for ourselves and that love is just sex dressed up so it looks nicer in the mirror, some trick played on us ta knock us off track. Maybe I'm right but still ... it's a funny thing, love; it's like glue. It binds the maddest people together in the maddest ways.
August 3, 2019
The ending gets a bit too mystery novel exposition-y but overall this is a pretty riveting read that justifies its length.
January 17, 2025
I think I just didn't get this book. Had it been 200 pages shorter, I might have stood a chance. But 657 pages was too long to spend in the jumbled mind of a frenetic narrator.
June 10, 2025
Three and a half or 3.75 stars. It was not what I expected from reading the synopsis, but it got pretty good towards the end.
December 2, 2022
This was a brilliant book. As an Irish person, I can get annoyed at some Irish books for feeling too familiar to me, or characters which are more like the caricatures that Irish people imagine of their own community rather than well rounded people.
This book is written so beautifully and almost mythologises the ordinary in Dublin. The characters are believable and the story sucks you in. I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone.
This book is written so beautifully and almost mythologises the ordinary in Dublin. The characters are believable and the story sucks you in. I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone.
November 12, 2016
I picked this up in an airport in 2006 on a whim, mainly because I found the cover attractive! It was a lucky pick for me as I would say this is my all time favourite book.
Yes it's long, the Dublin dialect is initially hard to endure but by the end of a few chapters it just faded into obscurity and actually made the characters more real and solid in my imagination. It's a tale of love, family dynamics (probably not the good kind), sexuality, drug abuse, violence and even magic. Mia Gallagher did an exceptional job with it and I kept looking for further books from her!
I've read it several times since first purchasing it and each read through makes me pick up more of the story, I'm still shocked and saddened by the ending. With it being so long I just want Lucy to be happy! She becomes so real in my head, as does Naylor and I so wish for a happy ending every time I read it, there isn't a book I've read since with characters as in depth as Lucy and none have made me empathise with them quite as much.
I think it will forever be my favourite!
Yes it's long, the Dublin dialect is initially hard to endure but by the end of a few chapters it just faded into obscurity and actually made the characters more real and solid in my imagination. It's a tale of love, family dynamics (probably not the good kind), sexuality, drug abuse, violence and even magic. Mia Gallagher did an exceptional job with it and I kept looking for further books from her!
I've read it several times since first purchasing it and each read through makes me pick up more of the story, I'm still shocked and saddened by the ending. With it being so long I just want Lucy to be happy! She becomes so real in my head, as does Naylor and I so wish for a happy ending every time I read it, there isn't a book I've read since with characters as in depth as Lucy and none have made me empathise with them quite as much.
I think it will forever be my favourite!
April 24, 2013
Don't attempt this book unless you have got a lot of time on your hands (it is long and rambling) or unless you have a strong stomach as it is unrelentingly grim with some sickening violence and graphic descriptions of drugs and their effects, as well as social deprivation.
It is the story of a junkie, set in Dublin in the '80s and her attempts at finding some meaning to her life. I did get a lot out of it despite it being way too long and it does have some moments of poetic beauty but it was also quite hard work.
It is the story of a junkie, set in Dublin in the '80s and her attempts at finding some meaning to her life. I did get a lot out of it despite it being way too long and it does have some moments of poetic beauty but it was also quite hard work.
December 1, 2007
My actual rating is 3.5 stars. Very different from what I expected - basically tells the life story of a heroin addict spanning several decades in the slums of Dublin. Lucy (the addict) narrates, so the writing is more conversational and terse. The dialect takes a bit getting used to, but I commend Gallagher's boldness for writing Lucy's character so in depth and detailing a story with very little redemption - not for the weak of heart.
March 21, 2009
This was a last grab at the library and I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting to!
I did not guess the ending at all and the story kept me interested and turning pages throughout. Usually with books so long, there are parts which get boring and a bit 'draggy' but that didn't happen with this book. Very pleased I read it!
I did not guess the ending at all and the story kept me interested and turning pages throughout. Usually with books so long, there are parts which get boring and a bit 'draggy' but that didn't happen with this book. Very pleased I read it!
September 28, 2013
2 stars is probably a bit harsh but I found the book very long and it was rough in places. Try it out for yourself but read a least a few chapters before you decide - let it grow on you. Not one of my favourite books but I'm glad I gave it a chance and finished it.
May 8, 2015
I read this about about 5 years ago and think of it often. Definitely time to go back. A one off book that is incredibly harrowing and will stay with you forever.
I gave it a 4 as the ending did go off tangent a bit, I felt.
I gave it a 4 as the ending did go off tangent a bit, I felt.
November 10, 2015
One of those books that completely sucks you into its world and characters to the point you start thinking of them as real people and an actual part of your life. Big and dark and violent and rough and pure and beautiful. Class.
July 4, 2017
This is a novel that demonstrates how everything you know, isn't necessarily everything there is to know.
If I had to offer criticism, I'd say it was a bit on the long side. Also, the dialect used, made it difficult to keep up at times.
If I had to offer criticism, I'd say it was a bit on the long side. Also, the dialect used, made it difficult to keep up at times.
October 14, 2009
a very touching and lovely book.
May 19, 2014
Great main character. Raw and gripping narrative. A glimpse into the hard core world of Dublin Inner City Heroin scourge. Mia's writing flows and has an authenticity that runs deep.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews