Adventures of a Wonky-Eyed Boy: The Short-Arse Years

by Jason Byrne

Mrs Byrne, you've a beautiful, very pale, ginger-haired baby boy with a wonky eye. As she was handed me by the midwife, my mother wept for all the wrong reasons. She could have shagged a platypus and I still would have come out better than this.

So begins Jason Byrne's Adventures of a Wonky-Eyed Boy, a laugh-out-loud memoir that captures the childhood adventures of an accident-prone youngster in 1970s and 1980s suburban Dublin.

It was a time when your brother persuaded you to eat the grease behind the cooker by telling you it was caramel, your house was blown up by lightning, your dad mixed up the toothpaste and the arse-cream, and you fell asleep on Sunday nights to the sound of one of the neighbours who were all named Paddy drunkenly singing Magic Moments in the good front room. All of this while trying to stop your wonky eye from giving the game away.

Jason Byrne's childhood adventures are nostalgic, heart-warming and, above all, hilarious.


"When you read this you'll realise Jason might actually be the normal one in his family." John Bishop.

"I loved this book so much I wanted to cover it in wallpaper and write to all my pen pals about it!" Amy Huberman

"A comedy god" The Mirror.

"Outright king of live comedy" The Times.

Genres: Irish Literature, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

392 pages, Hardcover

Published September 16, 2016

About the author

Jason Byrne was born in 1986, the child of two technical writers -- his father with a published Buddhism-meets-quantum-physics treatise, and his mother a writer of fan-fiction and avid American history enthusiast. Jason grew up in rural southwestern Michigan, where he began writing fantasy at age eleven, inspired by a seventh-grade creative writing prompt.

Today, he lives in Maryland, and is the author of THE VISION OF ARCADIA series, AVATAR OF THE ENEMY, and others.

Reviews

[Louise Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to laugh out loud until the tears run down your face then this the book for you!

[Denise Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly sad to be finishing this book as each chapter filled me with so much joy. It's a delightful tale of not only Ireland's best loved comedian, but Irish childhood and humour that would leaving you laughing for days. It really lifted it my spirits and I would certainly consider re-reading if I am in the need of a laugh.

Happiness in a hardback!

[Dino-Jess ✮ The Book Eating Dinosaur ✮]

There are no words to explain how much I need this.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book, I’d had it on my TBR list for a while and on a whim I purchased it after another book had disappointed me and I’m so glad it did because this book wiped out all the competition for my favourite book of 2024 at the last minute.

This might be the funniest book I have ever read, there were times when I had to stop reading for a minute to getting the laughing out of my system, so many books are advertised as being hilarious or laugh out loud but in my experience very few come anywhere near that mark, this book was different. I haven’t watched any of Jason’s stand-up shows to know if the book is made up of routines from those but the anecdotes are easily good enough to work as stand-up material.

The book is primarily funny and it rarely gets deeper than that, you’re not going to find yourself getting too moved but there are times when it deviates slightly such as when Jason was describing his time in hospital after his eye surgery with the other young boy. However it isn’t just a funny book it is also a masterfully woven account of what it was like to grow up in South Dublin in the 1970’s and 1980’s, the book is written as it would be spoken and this also greatly helps set the scene for all the anecdotes. In telling his many anecdotes Jason manages to lovingly paint a vivid picture of each of his immediate family members which also aids his excellent story-telling. Although the book is about Jason’s childhood in Ireland I think a lot of the anecdotes will resonate with anyone who grew up with working-class parents in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s in the UK as well.

I was genuinely sad to finish this book which rarely happens, as the number of pages left was getting less I found myself trying to read just a few pages at a time but I always wanted to read just a bit more. It’s also one of those rare books that I think I might re-read in the future. I highly recommend this book, it’s uplifting and heart-warming and I can’t wait to read Jason’s next book.

[Moona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adventures of a Wonky-Eyed Boy: The Short-Arse Years by Jason Byrne is a hilarious and heartwarming memoir that delves into the comedian's quirky childhood in 1970s and 1980s Dublin. With his signature wit, Byrne recounts the bizarre and laugh-out-loud moments of his youth, from odd family mishaps to the everyday absurdities of growing up in a chaotic household. The book is filled with nostalgic anecdotes that capture the essence of suburban Irish life, all while embracing the humor and heart of a misfit trying to make sense of it all. A delightful read for fans of comedic memoirs.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Jason Byrne! This book is so funny. I laughed out loud repeatedly. I had to suppress my laughter when reading it in bed in the middle of the night so I didn't wake my husband. But then I shook so much, trying to hold my laughter in. I read bits out aloud to my husband and he laughed too. Great sense of time and place too.

[dizzy pickles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I really liked this book was an easy enjoyable read and great to pass the time on the train to work

[Brian Mulhall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed at this quite a bit. Not a page turner as such but it has a lot of funny moments, especially during Jason's time pre-eye surgery!

[Meshel Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious from beginning to end. Comedy gold. This book will cheer the most miserable of persons up.

[Jane Snell-Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome, really enjoyed it.

[Pete Wade · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick fun read. Anyone growing up in Dublin in 70's-80's will identify with it.

[Graham Farrar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and hilarious. Jason is so funny, it's hard not to read in his voice and style. Loved the mental images this conjured up. Lots of realities of how things were in the 80's.

[Lisa Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

wanted to love this book but really lost interest.

[Phoebe Whalley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting stories, definitely would’ve had more impact if I’d grown up catholic, in Ireland, in the 70/80s. A lot of the references just didn’t hit

[Maryka · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpected delight. Many laugh out loud moments. A great reflection of growing up in Ireland in the 1980s. Definitely recommended

[Scott Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Have been going to watch Jason at the Edinburgh fringe for years , so a lot of the stories in this book have been in his shows over the years , but it is still laugh out loud quality in there

[Lindamac Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant... Hilarious. Don't know if people outside Ireland will get the humour but to me it was a real belly laugh book. Woke the hubby up a couple of times by the bed shaking from me laughing. Loved it

[Dee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Appalling. No idea how this garbage got published.

[Richard Warlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very funny book, well worth a read.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laughed my ass off! It's light & fun, I seriously loved it.

[P.J. Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Jason Byrne doing stand up then I'm sure you'll enjoy this book too. Especially if you have any Irish relatives as I do. Whilst the first half of the book is just okay the second half of the book is laugh out loud funny with the various stories and events that took place in Jason's life throughout the 80's. His dad reminded me of Danny Baker's father, 'Spud'. And it really does seem as though Jason was the normal one in his family. Would thoroughly recommend! It's totally massive!