Youth

by Kevin Curran

Youth by Kevin Curran dives into the lives of four teenagers in Ireland's most diverse town, Balbriggan. Angel is about to finish school and discover if Drill music and his YouTube fame can deliver on their promises. Princess is battling to escape her claustrophobic surroundings and go to university. Dean is ready to come out from under his famous father's shadow. Tanya, struggling with the spotlight of internet infamy, is still posting her dream life for all of her faithful followers.
Isolated and disorientated by the white noise and insurmountable expectations of adolescence, our protagonists are desperate to find anything that helps them belong. Oblivious to each other's presence, potential and struggles, they pass on the street as strangers. But when they do intersect, the connections they make will change the course of their lives.
Twenty-first century life – hyper-sexualized, social media saturated, anxiety-plagued – is here. Living inside its characters' heads, and negotiating their interior landscapes, this book is a love song to the possibilities of youth.
Curran's evocative writing yields the authenticity this novel demands. An instinctive affection and admiration for the characters portrayed in Youth takes the reader on a journey through streets less travelled.

Genres: Irish Literature, Novels, Ireland, Fiction

289 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 8, 2023

About the author

Kevin Curran grew up in Balbriggan, County Dublin. He has a Masters Degree in Anglo-Irish Literature from University College Dublin. He teaches in Balbriggan.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Vada · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fresh insight into modern teens’ lives. My heart is breaking for them.

[James Durkan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good showing of modern multicultural Ireland and the perilous lives teenagers live. In some places it made Euphoria look tame. It took a while for it to get anywhere and once it intersected it went somewhere. I loved the final few chapters but my only criticism is that it was all real fizzle and no pop. No massive blow off to the gang war. No indication of what would happen Princess. The only character that showed growth by the end was Tanya. A good read by all means.

[Steph · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 60% - personally couldn’t get into the narrative or characters. Something a little YA about the writing style. Hated the weird TikTok references. I’m not sure what Curran is trying to say. Maybe nothing. I may be prejudiced in this, but feel it’s a weird topic for this author to broach. This is a story I felt could be have been better devised overall.

[Juliano · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Begrudgery, yeah. But something else. Control and an ability to define you. People in this town want power over you.” In Balbriggan, a coastal town in County Dublin, the interconnected lives of four teenagers unspool in Kevin Curran’s new novel Youth. Angel, Princess, Dean and Tanya are teens of the covid generation, hungry for more of what life has to offer: for Angel, clout and the promise of Drill music fame; for Princess, the freedom from domestic tyranny that university might offer; for Dean, an identity separate from his well-known Olympian father (which only just about surpasses his other great desire, sex); for Tanya, wrestling with the unravelling of family secrets and the social, psychological wreckage of a scandalous video being shared online, the very notion of being seen and accepted for who she is, not for who men want her to be. Rich in social realism, prioritising conversations and thought over plot, it offers up a hopeful view of the next generation of young adults, and also evokes so uncomfortably all the feelings of late youth, particularly the urgency and extremity, of desire, of ambition and social pressure, and how life can all too often teeter on a moment: when all the stakes feel so astronomically high, one wrong move bringing your entire future crashing down around you. “Our youth, he laughs. Before you know it, it’ll dash and you'll always wonder what it would've been like […] I don't have a reply. I nod and smile […] Wave to him and turn back towards the town. The future.” It’s original,l and polyphonic, touchingly optimistic: “something hopeful in the new edges of his words […] come through revolutions, generations, […] witnessed here, on these streets, now.”

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course I had to find and read one of the few books set in Balbriggan. This was actually really good. The writing was excellent. You can tell that research was done for it. The prose was lovely, and each character had such a distinct voice. I feel like I could bump into them next time I'm in Balbriggan. Growing up in Balbriggan I feel like gives me an insight into some of the struggles these characters faced but I can also tell the difference between when I grew up and these characters now growing up in the 2020s is huge. The ending was a bit too pretty for me. It didn't seem very realistic, but then I guess there's enough realistic stories with bad endings on the news. I think maybe the author just wanted to give whatever kid reads this some hope. I loved it anyways.

[Phil James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting book following 4 teenagers in a town on the edge of Dublin over a few weeks. This is a modern style book and explores the modern cultural and social issues that many teenagers are dealing with including identity, online persona and family turmoil. My one grip about it is with the writing. The author does not use the traditional quotation marks to denote what characters are saying and also uses a lot of jargon making it hard t follow at times - and I live in Ireland so others might find it even more difficult. Still a great read, particularly for anyone interested in youth culture or teenagers.

[Paul Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book needs to be read. Lime-fresh, wholly convincing and full of the overpowering energies and anxieties of adolescence. Absolute immersion into a sometimes troubling, but always vibrant world. The audiobook and it’s shifting shades of new Hiberno-English is brilliantly brought to life by a pitch perfect cast. Highly recommended - swear down.

[AnnMarie O'Connor]

This was a book club read

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful young characters, flawed, complex and I routed for all of them.

[Demi Takahashi · Rating 1 out of 5]

not for me

[Killian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vital book. A rare and raw insight the minds of today's young people

[Peter Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me a little while to warm to this book but the warmth for the characters won me over. This book has a great energy about it once it gets going and it tackles teenage life well while also showing a great love for the community of Balbriggan. Really enjoyed it and look forward to reading future books by Kevin Curran.