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The Eleventh Summer
An eleven-year-old Irish boy visits his grandparents for the summer and discovers the mysteries of the adult world surrounding him
162 pages, Hardcover
First published January 31, 1985
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October 2, 2024
Read this for college and afterwards Carlo came in and spoke to us. He seemed a very kind and earnest man. I was struck by how fresh the story of this book seemed in how mind (nearly 40 years on). His life did not seem to be stuck in the shadow of his mother (Edna O'Brien) and he seemed to be very comfortable in his own skin. The greatest meaning in his life seemed to be his work with literacy, arts and reading in prisons in Ireland. You could also tell that he retained the spark of childhood, and understood the experience of being young. The joys of youth but also the pain and most importantly the utter confusion.
The book is a beautiful story of pre-adolescence. It could be likened to a boy's version of Foster by Claire Keegan, in that a young person is taken in for a short period and it leaves an indelible mark on them. I really enjoy books that describe events in childhood and allow us to look at them through the context (or lack thereof) of a child. The book opens with the boy's grandfather lining up a gamble on his horse at a racetrack. The boy is mesmerised by the sights, sounds, and smells of the track. The horse is leading the horse but tragedy strikes and he horse suffers an injury. There is a heart-breaking scene where the horse has to be put down on the track, adding to the confusion of the boy. From there the grandfather goes on a tear, the boy's one job on his day out was to stop his grandfather drinking. He is, of course, powerless to do this and they end up in a rural hotel bar where the grandfather makes a show of himself. The boy is paralysed by the moment and drinks so much lemonade that he wets himself.
The opening scenes are forever burned into my mind. It is an unmistakably rural Irish scene to be taken to some God-forsaken pub with fizzy drinks laid onto you until you are nearly sick. I never had the same discomfort and I never had to mind my father but the confusion as to why we couldn't just go home is identical. I look back on this rural pursuits fondly and I know they are something I would like to protect but a moment can be both exhilarating and uncomfortable simultaneously. It may be an Irish scene that is being fazed out but the chaos of being 11 will forever be the same.
The book is a beautiful story of pre-adolescence. It could be likened to a boy's version of Foster by Claire Keegan, in that a young person is taken in for a short period and it leaves an indelible mark on them. I really enjoy books that describe events in childhood and allow us to look at them through the context (or lack thereof) of a child. The book opens with the boy's grandfather lining up a gamble on his horse at a racetrack. The boy is mesmerised by the sights, sounds, and smells of the track. The horse is leading the horse but tragedy strikes and he horse suffers an injury. There is a heart-breaking scene where the horse has to be put down on the track, adding to the confusion of the boy. From there the grandfather goes on a tear, the boy's one job on his day out was to stop his grandfather drinking. He is, of course, powerless to do this and they end up in a rural hotel bar where the grandfather makes a show of himself. The boy is paralysed by the moment and drinks so much lemonade that he wets himself.
The opening scenes are forever burned into my mind. It is an unmistakably rural Irish scene to be taken to some God-forsaken pub with fizzy drinks laid onto you until you are nearly sick. I never had the same discomfort and I never had to mind my father but the confusion as to why we couldn't just go home is identical. I look back on this rural pursuits fondly and I know they are something I would like to protect but a moment can be both exhilarating and uncomfortable simultaneously. It may be an Irish scene that is being fazed out but the chaos of being 11 will forever be the same.
Displaying 1 of 1 review