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The Outside Boy
Ireland, 1959: Young Christy Hurley is a Pavee gypsy, traveling with his father and extended family from town to town, carrying all their worldly possessions in their wagons. Christy carries with him a burden of guilt as well, haunted by the story of his mother's death in childbirth. The peripatetic life is the only one Christy has ever known, but when his grandfather dies, everything changes. His father decides to settle down temporarily in a town where Christy and his cousin can attend mass and receive proper schooling. But they are still treated as outsiders.
As Christy's exposure to a different life causes him to question who he is and where he belongs, the answer may lie with an old newspaper photograph and a long-buried family secret that could change his life forever...
As Christy's exposure to a different life causes him to question who he is and where he belongs, the answer may lie with an old newspaper photograph and a long-buried family secret that could change his life forever...
384 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2010
1421 people are currently reading
15702 people want to read
About the author
Jeanine Cummins
14 books6,322 followersJeanine Cummins is the author of four books: the bestselling memoir A Rip in Heaven, and the novels The Outside Boy, The Crooked Branch, and American Dirt. She lives in New York with her husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,120 reviews
July 20, 2010
THE OUTSIDE BOY is an oddity in the post-post modern world: an old-fashioned, grab you by the heartstrings, well-written read.
Are you a jaded sort? Like your novels rough about the edges? Sneer at the slightest whiff of sentimentality? Maybe you'd best stay inside, then, with your video games, your FaceBooks, your tweeting and your texting. This is a book where just being outdoors can set the mood, where character is king, and where plot plays 3rd or 4th fiddle somewhere in the back of the barn.
The protagonist is an 11-year-old by the name of Christy Hurley. You might cry foul because the novel is written in the 1st-person POV and Christy's observations and thought processes are often heady indeed. Anticipating this, author Jeanine Cummins asks that you suspend your disbelief and give her your hand nonetheless. She will take you back in time. She will show you the Pavee Gypsy life as it existed in its twilight in Ireland. To do this, she throws a series of set pieces at the reader, starting with a compelling scene where Christy's grandda helps to deliver a breech colt in a barn. You get writing like so:
"Grandda was at the back end of the mare now, and there was a lot more blood than was normal. I dumped the iodine into the cup and lifted the colt's cord stump. It was sticky and warm, and the colt made a breathy mewl sound when I lifted the cord, but I couldn't tell if it was a pain or a comfort sound. I winced when I dipped the stump into the iodine, but the colt roused hisself and finally lifted his head, like a crow fluffing his feathers. He rolled onto his chest, and stuck his scrawny legs out at awkward angles beneath him."
Christy knows his mom died birthing him, so the colt scene is an echo of sorts. In fact, as you move through the book and then finish it, you find other echoes and foreshadowing, all a credit to the book's careful design. Episodic riffs of note include Christy and his cousin Martin working toward their First Holy Communion in a church that actually accepts them and Christy falling in love with a rich but game girl named Amy. Then, at the end, a sub-plot erupts at the surface and drives the book home quickly and dramatically to its denouement. Wonderful ending, in my opinion -- and those words don't come cheap. Even the classic writers struggle with endings. Cummins' is a gem.
So, if you're not too pessimistic or "worldly" these days, you might give THE OUTSIDE BOY a try. I mean, does the theme song from LASSIE bring a tear to your eye? That would be a good indicator that this is a book for you. It's a book about being a kid, about feeling unloved and wanting to be loved, about being an outsider and trying to come to terms with a world that has little sympathy for outsiders. It won me over in the end, despite the cargo of doubts I had in tow. But I like coming of age books -- and I'm a sucker for poignancy, too. My weakness, then. One that, in this book's case, led to my gain.
Are you a jaded sort? Like your novels rough about the edges? Sneer at the slightest whiff of sentimentality? Maybe you'd best stay inside, then, with your video games, your FaceBooks, your tweeting and your texting. This is a book where just being outdoors can set the mood, where character is king, and where plot plays 3rd or 4th fiddle somewhere in the back of the barn.
The protagonist is an 11-year-old by the name of Christy Hurley. You might cry foul because the novel is written in the 1st-person POV and Christy's observations and thought processes are often heady indeed. Anticipating this, author Jeanine Cummins asks that you suspend your disbelief and give her your hand nonetheless. She will take you back in time. She will show you the Pavee Gypsy life as it existed in its twilight in Ireland. To do this, she throws a series of set pieces at the reader, starting with a compelling scene where Christy's grandda helps to deliver a breech colt in a barn. You get writing like so:
"Grandda was at the back end of the mare now, and there was a lot more blood than was normal. I dumped the iodine into the cup and lifted the colt's cord stump. It was sticky and warm, and the colt made a breathy mewl sound when I lifted the cord, but I couldn't tell if it was a pain or a comfort sound. I winced when I dipped the stump into the iodine, but the colt roused hisself and finally lifted his head, like a crow fluffing his feathers. He rolled onto his chest, and stuck his scrawny legs out at awkward angles beneath him."
Christy knows his mom died birthing him, so the colt scene is an echo of sorts. In fact, as you move through the book and then finish it, you find other echoes and foreshadowing, all a credit to the book's careful design. Episodic riffs of note include Christy and his cousin Martin working toward their First Holy Communion in a church that actually accepts them and Christy falling in love with a rich but game girl named Amy. Then, at the end, a sub-plot erupts at the surface and drives the book home quickly and dramatically to its denouement. Wonderful ending, in my opinion -- and those words don't come cheap. Even the classic writers struggle with endings. Cummins' is a gem.
So, if you're not too pessimistic or "worldly" these days, you might give THE OUTSIDE BOY a try. I mean, does the theme song from LASSIE bring a tear to your eye? That would be a good indicator that this is a book for you. It's a book about being a kid, about feeling unloved and wanting to be loved, about being an outsider and trying to come to terms with a world that has little sympathy for outsiders. It won me over in the end, despite the cargo of doubts I had in tow. But I like coming of age books -- and I'm a sucker for poignancy, too. My weakness, then. One that, in this book's case, led to my gain.
July 20, 2010
"My mam and dad had fell in love over books, over sunlight and soil and simplicity, and I was the product of their bold, impossible love. I was the freest, happiest moment of their lives..." (354)
I fell in love with this novel, unexpectedly, from the very beginning....tumbled into its honesty and beauty unawares, captured in Cummins' intricately yet seemingly-effortlessly crafted story...I have read very few books written my female authors tackling a male narrator's voice that I have found successful, but Jeanine Cummins achieves this feat with incredible precision and authenticity...Christy Hurley, the 12-year-old protagonist is a boy whom the reader cannot help but love, respect, ache for, cheer for, empathize with...The story is simple enough-- a coming of age tale of a search for an identity hidden, and for the assertion of a budding adolescent self. Set in 1959 in Ireland, the story showcases the author's commitment to accuracy of detail (most apparent in her descriptions of landscape, and in the voice of her speaker) but even more, the novel is breathtaking in the way in which Cummins' manages to subtly, unobtrusively, naturally, bring true poetry into the language of "Outside Boy."
From its dramatic beginning with the death of Christy's (Christopher's) granda, the reader is brought into the slowly-dying world of the wandering tinkers of Ireland-past and quickly, she is enchanted by this life, longing for nothing more or less for herself...Early in the text, Christy describes his own love for a life "outside," one that is free and untethered-- something he feels on a physical level:
"I flexed, instinctively. That was always my response to thinking about doorways and walls and ceilings. To stretch out the muscles of my body, to let them unfold. To feel the openness of the free air all around me, unbound. That was the purest form of reassurance-- it was elemental." (25)
This way of being is constantly in tension in the novel with the lives of those around Christy and his family, people who live in houses and lead conventionally rooted lives...And nowhere is this tension so amplified as in Christy himself, who in spite of himself sometimes finds himself coveting the features of this "normalcy." The reader discovers that there is more to this impulse in Christy than mere casual envy or desire, and this is linked closely to his investigation into the mystery of his own past, as a search for his own identity...
The feelings of adolescence are raw in this story, raw and real and wonderful in their brutal and beautiful truth...I need to include this description of Christy's first kiss, just to give you a taste...
"And I opened my eyes just in time to see her stretching up toward me.
Slow, slow. Slow.
Tingles.
Loose joints. Dampness and movement. Softness. Stiffness. Her lips. They barely touched me, brushed me. Slow. And then: spinning. Goose pimples. Music-- I swear I hear a pipe organ. Oh. Shadowy, daytime stars. Stars! And that mad, rushy, dizzy, powerful scent of peeling, stripping oranges. Naked in their skins." (247)
!
The novel is filled with fabulous characters, richly drawn...Christy's granda, even though he is only in a few scenes, plays an enormous role in shaping the young boy's view of the world--, his grandmother is a formidable but fiercely loving woman who buys Christy and his cousin Martin cowboy shirts (their first NEW clothes) for a birthday party---Martin himself who is a rascally lovable boy, Amy Witherspoon a.k.a. Fionnula Whippet, Christy's first love; and Jack (Christy's horse) and Fidel (his dog), a boy named "Beano", a nun Christy calls "Sister Hedgehog" fondly, and many more...
Without giving too much away, the story ends with some tragedy but with greater, emphatic JOY and hope...In discovering the truth of his past, Christy discovers all he needs to in order to be at peace with himself and his life...
"I had always been their choice, but now I was my own choice, too. I knew I was an outside boy..." (354)
READ THIS BOOK!
I fell in love with this novel, unexpectedly, from the very beginning....tumbled into its honesty and beauty unawares, captured in Cummins' intricately yet seemingly-effortlessly crafted story...I have read very few books written my female authors tackling a male narrator's voice that I have found successful, but Jeanine Cummins achieves this feat with incredible precision and authenticity...Christy Hurley, the 12-year-old protagonist is a boy whom the reader cannot help but love, respect, ache for, cheer for, empathize with...The story is simple enough-- a coming of age tale of a search for an identity hidden, and for the assertion of a budding adolescent self. Set in 1959 in Ireland, the story showcases the author's commitment to accuracy of detail (most apparent in her descriptions of landscape, and in the voice of her speaker) but even more, the novel is breathtaking in the way in which Cummins' manages to subtly, unobtrusively, naturally, bring true poetry into the language of "Outside Boy."
From its dramatic beginning with the death of Christy's (Christopher's) granda, the reader is brought into the slowly-dying world of the wandering tinkers of Ireland-past and quickly, she is enchanted by this life, longing for nothing more or less for herself...Early in the text, Christy describes his own love for a life "outside," one that is free and untethered-- something he feels on a physical level:
"I flexed, instinctively. That was always my response to thinking about doorways and walls and ceilings. To stretch out the muscles of my body, to let them unfold. To feel the openness of the free air all around me, unbound. That was the purest form of reassurance-- it was elemental." (25)
This way of being is constantly in tension in the novel with the lives of those around Christy and his family, people who live in houses and lead conventionally rooted lives...And nowhere is this tension so amplified as in Christy himself, who in spite of himself sometimes finds himself coveting the features of this "normalcy." The reader discovers that there is more to this impulse in Christy than mere casual envy or desire, and this is linked closely to his investigation into the mystery of his own past, as a search for his own identity...
The feelings of adolescence are raw in this story, raw and real and wonderful in their brutal and beautiful truth...I need to include this description of Christy's first kiss, just to give you a taste...
"And I opened my eyes just in time to see her stretching up toward me.
Slow, slow. Slow.
Tingles.
Loose joints. Dampness and movement. Softness. Stiffness. Her lips. They barely touched me, brushed me. Slow. And then: spinning. Goose pimples. Music-- I swear I hear a pipe organ. Oh. Shadowy, daytime stars. Stars! And that mad, rushy, dizzy, powerful scent of peeling, stripping oranges. Naked in their skins." (247)
!
The novel is filled with fabulous characters, richly drawn...Christy's granda, even though he is only in a few scenes, plays an enormous role in shaping the young boy's view of the world--, his grandmother is a formidable but fiercely loving woman who buys Christy and his cousin Martin cowboy shirts (their first NEW clothes) for a birthday party---Martin himself who is a rascally lovable boy, Amy Witherspoon a.k.a. Fionnula Whippet, Christy's first love; and Jack (Christy's horse) and Fidel (his dog), a boy named "Beano", a nun Christy calls "Sister Hedgehog" fondly, and many more...
Without giving too much away, the story ends with some tragedy but with greater, emphatic JOY and hope...In discovering the truth of his past, Christy discovers all he needs to in order to be at peace with himself and his life...
"I had always been their choice, but now I was my own choice, too. I knew I was an outside boy..." (354)
READ THIS BOOK!
December 12, 2014
I don't know how I found this wonderful debut novel. None of my GR friends have discovered it....yet. This is a coming of age story told by a 11 year old traveler, or gypsy as we would call him. I was hooked from the 1st chapter as young Christy helps his Granda deliver a foal. The characters are vivid and rich, and you will fall in love. Read a few of the many rave reviews, then get yourself a copy, ad prepare to be drawn in to this marvelous tale. Perfect reading for a long winters day. If you feel the dialect is a bit odd at first, don't give up, it grows on you, and gets easier as you go. I look forward to more from this talented author, and highly recommend to all my friends!
April 30, 2020
After loving American Dirt, I tucked into another Jeanine Cummins - this one set in Ireland about a young gipsy boy. Some of the writing is through-the-roof good and I did really get a sense of what life as a traveller must be like. The plot gets a bit trite, sentimental and pretty implausible towards the second half of the book but still a great read.
March 21, 2011
I loved this book. It's about a culture I know nothing about-- Irish "travellers" or tinkers-- people who live outside and move from town to town. The plot is interesting and well-paced, and the writing absolutely lovely. I actually marked passages I liked the most to re-read later, which I rarely do. How Cummins manages to write from the POV of a 12 year old Irish boy in 1959 is beyond me.
February 12, 2021
What an amazing Audiobook adventure!
September 17, 2023
I came across this book at my library’s book sale – the cover and title caught my eye and then I read the back and figured I’d buy it and give it a try. I’m so very glad I did because it was an absolutely beautiful read. It takes place in 1959 Ireland and is told in the point of view of an 11-year-old “traveller” (gypsy). The relationships the author builds between him and his family, friends, and even animals have you invested in this young boy’s life and his quest for answers about his past. It’s one of those rare books that has me give a deep sigh once the final page is read. One of those “that was just wonderful” closing sighs to a fabulous story. I highly recommend it.
February 11, 2021
This is the second book I’ve read by Cummins, the first being American Dirt, and I’m sensing that this author is very interested in people or groups living on the fringe of society. In this, we look at the world through the eyes of Christy, a 12 year old boy who is a Pavee traveler in Ireland. The travelers, commonly known as gypsies, are an old culture, but have been distrusted by mainstream culture, and this book puts you in their shoes. Cummins wrote some really beautiful prose in parts of the book and educated me about a people I had no knowledge of.
January 18, 2022
Rating this book was is a challenge - it’s so well written, researched, the characters are compelling and the pavvy (gypsy) culture being on the fringe of society is very interesting.
Buuuut… I couldn’t connect with the book until I was about 2/3 through it. I struggled staying with it, and in to it. I didn’t want to DNF what is clear in my mind a good book.
I’m not sure if it was me, the timing, or the era/subject just not being my thing. I fully believe the 5 star reviews this book has received are well deserved, it’s just not for me. ✌🏻
Buuuut… I couldn’t connect with the book until I was about 2/3 through it. I struggled staying with it, and in to it. I didn’t want to DNF what is clear in my mind a good book.
I’m not sure if it was me, the timing, or the era/subject just not being my thing. I fully believe the 5 star reviews this book has received are well deserved, it’s just not for me. ✌🏻
January 27, 2025
4-1/2 stars for an excellent coming-of-age story set in 1959 rural Ireland. Christy Hurley is an eleven-year-old boy, and the son of a "traveler" or Pavee gypsy, traveling with his father and extended family from town to town, carrying all their worldly possessions in their wagons. He's long been told that his mother died giving birth to him, and carries a burden of guilt for this. But a scrap of newspaper from his grandfather's wagon has the potential to change everything Christy has believed about himself, for it includes a photograph of his mother, the first he's ever seen, and in the photo she's standing next to a man he doesn't recognize, and holding a baby.
Cummins has created a very engaging cast of characters for her novel, as she explores the group's outsider status and their culture of independence and self-sufficiency. Christy himself is a completely endearing child on the verge of manhood, struggling with issues of identity, community, and loss. The audiobook was especially well narrated by Alan Devally with a broad, gentle-sounding Irish accent.
Cummins has created a very engaging cast of characters for her novel, as she explores the group's outsider status and their culture of independence and self-sufficiency. Christy himself is a completely endearing child on the verge of manhood, struggling with issues of identity, community, and loss. The audiobook was especially well narrated by Alan Devally with a broad, gentle-sounding Irish accent.
September 2, 2020
This is one of those books, where you're near the final chapter and you start turning the pages ever so slowly, because you just don't want the book to end. I just loved the characters, the sweetness and the poignant moments in this book. I needed a lovely book like this one at this time. Thank you, Jeanine Cummins.
February 9, 2022
This was my second book by the author, Jeanine Cummins. She has an amazing gift. I absolutely loved American Dirt and now I am taken away with The Outside Boy! This is the story of an 11 year old gypsy boy who travels with his gypsy family along the fields and roads of Ireland. I guess one could call it a coming of age story. I Highly recommend it!
December 19, 2024
Betyg: 5 av 5.
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Den amerikanska författaren Jeanine Cummins har gett ut fem böcker hittills, men bara två böcker finns översatta till svenska än så länge.
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Jag har läst en bok av henne tidigare, och det var boken Amerikansk Jord, som jag läste för fyra år sedan. Jag tyckte väldigt mycket om den boken, som helt klart var en av det årets bästa böcker, och den fick högsta betyget av mig, och det är en sån bok som jag verkligen minns.
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Och den här boken, Pojken på utsidan, var nästan lika bra, och tillräckligt bra för att även den ska få högsta betyget av mig.
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Boken var välskriven, gripande, intressant, rolig, spännande, berörande, och mycket bra. Så jag kan varmt den här boken, och även då så klart också boken Amerikansk jord.
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Jag varvade e-boksläsning med ljudbokslyssning, i 1,25 hastighet, bra inläst av Mirja Turestedt.
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.
Den amerikanska författaren Jeanine Cummins har gett ut fem böcker hittills, men bara två böcker finns översatta till svenska än så länge.
.
Jag har läst en bok av henne tidigare, och det var boken Amerikansk Jord, som jag läste för fyra år sedan. Jag tyckte väldigt mycket om den boken, som helt klart var en av det årets bästa böcker, och den fick högsta betyget av mig, och det är en sån bok som jag verkligen minns.
.
Och den här boken, Pojken på utsidan, var nästan lika bra, och tillräckligt bra för att även den ska få högsta betyget av mig.
.
Boken var välskriven, gripande, intressant, rolig, spännande, berörande, och mycket bra. Så jag kan varmt den här boken, och även då så klart också boken Amerikansk jord.
.
Jag varvade e-boksläsning med ljudbokslyssning, i 1,25 hastighet, bra inläst av Mirja Turestedt.
.
January 18, 2024
I absolutely fell in love with this book. I’ve realized a lot about myself over the years as a reader & I find coming of age stories to be amongst some of my favorites. I like a book to take its time, get it right, and deliver a good story at a believable pace. I don’t usually care for the novel to be plot driven & rushed, rather, immersed in character development and the human condition.
I loved the Irish countryside setting, the day-in-the-life-of pace, the characters with their endearing qualities & authentic quirks, the down to earth yet witty & exciting prose.
So many of us yearn to replicate the feelings & memories of our childhood; I truly felt closer to my 11 year old self than I have in years and that is the magic and power of books. This caravan of a novel easily transports you not only to Ireland in the late 50’s but also nostalgically navigates the internal paths and crossings of your own youth like a palm reading.
If you have a chance to do this on audiobook, I believe the narration only adds to the splendor of the book!! A+
There is a book out there for everyone; this book is for me. I’m so excited to see what else this author has to offer. Kudos to her on this little masterpiece.
“I could smell myself, my family scent….sweat and moss and tree bark and fire, mostly fire, and then earth and soil and damp leaves and wind.”
“Cigarettes help Dad remember things. He’d start to smoke and his eyes would squint up and soon he’d have all sorts of things to talk about.”
I loved the Irish countryside setting, the day-in-the-life-of pace, the characters with their endearing qualities & authentic quirks, the down to earth yet witty & exciting prose.
So many of us yearn to replicate the feelings & memories of our childhood; I truly felt closer to my 11 year old self than I have in years and that is the magic and power of books. This caravan of a novel easily transports you not only to Ireland in the late 50’s but also nostalgically navigates the internal paths and crossings of your own youth like a palm reading.
If you have a chance to do this on audiobook, I believe the narration only adds to the splendor of the book!! A+
There is a book out there for everyone; this book is for me. I’m so excited to see what else this author has to offer. Kudos to her on this little masterpiece.
“I could smell myself, my family scent….sweat and moss and tree bark and fire, mostly fire, and then earth and soil and damp leaves and wind.”
“Cigarettes help Dad remember things. He’d start to smoke and his eyes would squint up and soon he’d have all sorts of things to talk about.”
February 11, 2025
MY GOD this was a beautifully written book - I refuse to believe that Jeannine Cummins hasn’t lived a past life as a nomadic Irish boy in the 40s
August 5, 2025
Christopher Hurley, known as Christy, is a traveller. He loves the outside life, going from town to town with his family. His group includes his grandparents, his aunt and uncle, his cousins of whom Martin is his best friend and his Da. He never knew his mother as she died in childbirth.
The group knows it is time for Martin and Christy to take instruction and their First Communion. That means the group needs to stay in a town for much longer than normal and the boys are actually sent to school for the first time. Christy is a huge reader and loves the school while he also meets a girl who gives him feelings he has never had before. Yet there is a mystery he wants to solve.
He found a picture of his mother but she is holding a baby. If she died in his childbirth, how is that possible? is this another child, a sibling? Is it him? Why won't his father ever talk about his mother?
Jeanine Cummins is an American author whose best known work is American Dirt. In this novel, she is able to get inside the heart and mind of a growing boy whose life is different from those around him and holds a secret that even he doesn't know. It is the best coming of age novel I've read and I've enjoyed all of Cummins' work that I've read. Christy is a lovely boy who loves his family and life but is intellectually curious and determined to find the truth. This book is recommended for literary fiction readers.
The group knows it is time for Martin and Christy to take instruction and their First Communion. That means the group needs to stay in a town for much longer than normal and the boys are actually sent to school for the first time. Christy is a huge reader and loves the school while he also meets a girl who gives him feelings he has never had before. Yet there is a mystery he wants to solve.
He found a picture of his mother but she is holding a baby. If she died in his childbirth, how is that possible? is this another child, a sibling? Is it him? Why won't his father ever talk about his mother?
Jeanine Cummins is an American author whose best known work is American Dirt. In this novel, she is able to get inside the heart and mind of a growing boy whose life is different from those around him and holds a secret that even he doesn't know. It is the best coming of age novel I've read and I've enjoyed all of Cummins' work that I've read. Christy is a lovely boy who loves his family and life but is intellectually curious and determined to find the truth. This book is recommended for literary fiction readers.
September 8, 2021
My first exposure to Cummins' work was A Rip in Heaven, which was so compelling that I managed to finish in a day. At the time, I characterized the memoir to my friends as something that would re-sensitize you to the impact of crime. Cummins wrote with a kind of quiet ferocity that lended itself well to the account. We always hear about families' lives getting uprooted and destroyed in the crossfire of others' evil acts, but rarely do we get to read the victim's account of events in such a thorough way. A certain level of desensitization is almost necessary in order to cope with all of the suffering that you see people go through, but at the same time, it's not good to completely "numb out" and lose that essential empathy for others. Reading Cummins' memoir helped me to start rebuilding my deteriorating empathy at the time.
While The Outside Boy is not nearly as hard a read, Cummins portrays the grief that her characters go through in a way that's organic to their culture, their psychology, and their meager living conditions. I'll admit, I don't know much about 1950s Ireland, let alone the nomads that were discriminated there. But from my previous experience with Cummins, she's thorough when researching her subject matter. The fabric of story-reality never breaks apart with some hapless insertion of modern culture, whether it be with the peoples' ideologies or the introduction of certain cultural phenomena. The main characters are not simply paper cut-outs, or mere archetypes, but act in ways that are well-rounded, often delighting you by acting in ways that adhere to their character, but also breaking those molds in appropriate ways.
That being said, a lot of the other characters suffer in this regard because they're not developed to the same degree that the main family is. It's tough to make everyone interesting and varied, but it can be done. Naoki Urasawa, who is one of my favorite mangakas, manages to do this in all of his stories by taking characters whose roles are small and giving you the impression that they, too, could become main characters if given the chance. Not every side character has to shine or be given 100 pages of development, but they shouldn't just be tools that are only meant to push the main characters along.
As for the first-person perspective in the story, it can take some getting used to. Cummins uses a mix of old slang and proper English to create a more layered tone for the story, although the general lack of prosody tends to make for jarring phrases that prevent a smoother narrative style from happening. The narrator's sense of humor makes up for this in part, but I could never really shake the thought that Cummins' writing could've gone to new heights if she'd been willing to hone the main character's writing style some more.
There are also a lot of story threads that never see any resolution. The end of the book is more akin to the climax, where things are getting really good―and then it just ends. I like books where it leaves you satisfied yet speculative, but it appears that Cummins left a lot of story ideas unfinished because she didn't know where to take them (or simply ran out of space). She had all of the proper setup, all of the motives laid bare, and then she kind of just lets characters lose their presence over time. I suppose this is because she's writing what is essentially a pseudo-memoir here. In memoirs, not having people reappear in your story is quite normal, but in fiction it's a different ballgame. Even though this is a nomadic story wherein the theme is adhered to, failing to complete essential story threads is the sign of a tyro fiction writer. Where's book 2?, I thought to myself.
In terms of historical fiction, coming-of-age, and family drama, this book has a lot to offer. Its failures come from the inexperience of its author, whose strong suit is memoir. If the book had been lengthened to accommodate meaningful content, then this would have been a powerful entry, indeed. While there are powerful moments to be read within, there are only the rumblings of power in the distance, echoing back to tease you with what could have been, but never was.
While The Outside Boy is not nearly as hard a read, Cummins portrays the grief that her characters go through in a way that's organic to their culture, their psychology, and their meager living conditions. I'll admit, I don't know much about 1950s Ireland, let alone the nomads that were discriminated there. But from my previous experience with Cummins, she's thorough when researching her subject matter. The fabric of story-reality never breaks apart with some hapless insertion of modern culture, whether it be with the peoples' ideologies or the introduction of certain cultural phenomena. The main characters are not simply paper cut-outs, or mere archetypes, but act in ways that are well-rounded, often delighting you by acting in ways that adhere to their character, but also breaking those molds in appropriate ways.
That being said, a lot of the other characters suffer in this regard because they're not developed to the same degree that the main family is. It's tough to make everyone interesting and varied, but it can be done. Naoki Urasawa, who is one of my favorite mangakas, manages to do this in all of his stories by taking characters whose roles are small and giving you the impression that they, too, could become main characters if given the chance. Not every side character has to shine or be given 100 pages of development, but they shouldn't just be tools that are only meant to push the main characters along.
As for the first-person perspective in the story, it can take some getting used to. Cummins uses a mix of old slang and proper English to create a more layered tone for the story, although the general lack of prosody tends to make for jarring phrases that prevent a smoother narrative style from happening. The narrator's sense of humor makes up for this in part, but I could never really shake the thought that Cummins' writing could've gone to new heights if she'd been willing to hone the main character's writing style some more.
There are also a lot of story threads that never see any resolution. The end of the book is more akin to the climax, where things are getting really good―and then it just ends. I like books where it leaves you satisfied yet speculative, but it appears that Cummins left a lot of story ideas unfinished because she didn't know where to take them (or simply ran out of space). She had all of the proper setup, all of the motives laid bare, and then she kind of just lets characters lose their presence over time. I suppose this is because she's writing what is essentially a pseudo-memoir here. In memoirs, not having people reappear in your story is quite normal, but in fiction it's a different ballgame. Even though this is a nomadic story wherein the theme is adhered to, failing to complete essential story threads is the sign of a tyro fiction writer. Where's book 2?, I thought to myself.
In terms of historical fiction, coming-of-age, and family drama, this book has a lot to offer. Its failures come from the inexperience of its author, whose strong suit is memoir. If the book had been lengthened to accommodate meaningful content, then this would have been a powerful entry, indeed. While there are powerful moments to be read within, there are only the rumblings of power in the distance, echoing back to tease you with what could have been, but never was.
May 24, 2023
What an engaging story. Cummins has a gift for gradually (but not too gradually) unveiling this story of a long hidden family secret.
That tale eventually became a real page turner as we delved into the answers and resolution. but I think what makes it so effective is how much time she takes to establish her main character’s understanding of his world.
The novel is set among a family of Irish Travelers, and that’s not a culture I generally get much exposure to. I’m sure I’m not alone. Cummins takes the time to familiarize the reader as she sets up the novel’s central mystery. She builds empathy for her characters by giving the reader both a sense of the abuse that Travelers face while also celebrating their culture.
The characters are so well written and feel real - especially Christy but also his Dad. And I also commend the authors skill at writing dialogue. I just really enjoyed this one.
That tale eventually became a real page turner as we delved into the answers and resolution. but I think what makes it so effective is how much time she takes to establish her main character’s understanding of his world.
The novel is set among a family of Irish Travelers, and that’s not a culture I generally get much exposure to. I’m sure I’m not alone. Cummins takes the time to familiarize the reader as she sets up the novel’s central mystery. She builds empathy for her characters by giving the reader both a sense of the abuse that Travelers face while also celebrating their culture.
The characters are so well written and feel real - especially Christy but also his Dad. And I also commend the authors skill at writing dialogue. I just really enjoyed this one.
June 2, 2013
One of the author reviews on the inside cover of the book said that he after he finished he held the book to his chest and hugged it. I get why he did that. I didn't want to hug the book, but I wanted to reach inside this fictional world and hug young Christy Hurley. There is something so endearing, funny and sorrowful about Christy that you want to wrap him up and 'mother' him just like the nun did in his school after he smashed his face against the classroom door frame. Jeanine Cummins has a gift for creating not just a good coming-of-age story, but of infusing her story with imagery and language that reads like poetry. Cummings also has a great sense of humor which she used to underscore situations between characters that could have otherwise felt contrived. I'm thinking specifically of when Christy and Amy (Finnoula) take their party lunches into the kitchen and have their first intimate conversation. Christy is understandably nervous and excited about this encounter, but really, all he wants to do is eat the fabulous food on his plate. He likes her, but not enough to happily share his food! Another example is when Christy's father is standing in the kitchen of Christy's mother, holding his son for the first time--after just realizing that he has a son at all. It's a heavy, dramatic moment, but he looks up and says, "is his heart supposed to beat this fast?" The question feels real and elevates the moment from being overly dramatic.
The only criticism I have is I'm not sure that the story really depicts, accurately, the life of an Irish traveller. I know Cummins did a lot of research, and I know that she asks us, the readers, to suspend our disbelief for the language she chose for the travellers (it's not their true dialect--she felt it would be too difficult for a general audience to understand) but I felt like this story could have taken place anywhere and at anytime. I didn't learn much more about the travellers other than they move from town to town, camp in wagons, work with tin, beg occasionally and are not always welcome. I suppose I wanted more history of them as a group.
All in all, The Outside Boy is a very enjoyable read.
The only criticism I have is I'm not sure that the story really depicts, accurately, the life of an Irish traveller. I know Cummins did a lot of research, and I know that she asks us, the readers, to suspend our disbelief for the language she chose for the travellers (it's not their true dialect--she felt it would be too difficult for a general audience to understand) but I felt like this story could have taken place anywhere and at anytime. I didn't learn much more about the travellers other than they move from town to town, camp in wagons, work with tin, beg occasionally and are not always welcome. I suppose I wanted more history of them as a group.
All in all, The Outside Boy is a very enjoyable read.
June 16, 2022
A brilliant story about Irish travellers. A bit of a slow-burner but the writing is incredible in places, sometimes forgot I was reading it was that good. Compelling characters and some witty parts. Loses a star because the ending is a bit implausible, and the last few chapters are dialogue-heavy which loses the good narrative that ran throughout most of the book.
July 21, 2022
For my taste, this oozed sentimentality. Also full of improbabilities, impossibilities. Another reviewer noted that the novel “strained credibility”. Agree!
September 3, 2024
Another fabulous book from this Author.
All consuming.
All consuming.
April 3, 2021
Jeanine Cummins certainly does like appropriating the stories of disenfranchised populations to which she doesn't belong. I don't know. The 1950s setting makes this a little more palatable than American Dirt, but the adoption of the Traveller persona feels off, and the use of offensive, derogatory words like "tinker" and "gypsy" in the jacket copy and publisher's website are inexcusable.
The writing itself is engaging, and the story has a very YA, possibly even middle grade feel to it, certainly not "literary fiction," if we're dropping this into publishing categories, which I do recognize are a marketing construct anyway. It's a sweet story, very straightforward and sentimental. A quick read. I simultaneously read a hard copy and listened to the audiobook recording, and the audio narrator was good.
I can see why a lot of people enjoyed this book - it's very simple and superficially "heartwarming," and might give the reader the sense that they're getting a window into a community not often represented in fiction or popular media generally. But it gave me a bad vibe, felt disingenuous and vaguely exploitative. No doubt in large part because of the author's bad reputation re: the American Dirt nastiness. But I think writing about Travellers also needs to be approached with care and sensitivity, not just as a persona that can be adopted at will for storytelling purposes.
At the same time, I'm also aware of my own ambiguity and ambivalence in thinking about the concept of "cultural appropriation" in fiction, particularly historical fiction. If novelists only explored their own direct experiences and cultural contexts we wouldn't have much in the way of fiction, and I agree that artists need the freedom to engage with stories and characters creatively. I'm interested in Hari Kunzu's writing on this topic: "Since trespassing into otherness is a foundation of the novelist’s work, should we restrict ourselves in some way, so as to avoid doing violence to those who identify with our characters?" In the same Guardian article, other writers, particularly Kamila Shamsie, note a concern for writing with sensitivity, for not "peddling stereotypes" when representing characters whose cultural background deviates from the writer's. "Whose Life Is It Anyway: Novelists have their say on cultural appropriation."
I guess that's where The Outside Boy rubbed me the wrong way - while I don't believe Cummins wrote with hateful intentions, probably quite the opposite, it did feel like she romanticized Traveller lives and voices in a way that felt simplistic and stereotypical. It's a sweet story with rot at its core.
The writing itself is engaging, and the story has a very YA, possibly even middle grade feel to it, certainly not "literary fiction," if we're dropping this into publishing categories, which I do recognize are a marketing construct anyway. It's a sweet story, very straightforward and sentimental. A quick read. I simultaneously read a hard copy and listened to the audiobook recording, and the audio narrator was good.
I can see why a lot of people enjoyed this book - it's very simple and superficially "heartwarming," and might give the reader the sense that they're getting a window into a community not often represented in fiction or popular media generally. But it gave me a bad vibe, felt disingenuous and vaguely exploitative. No doubt in large part because of the author's bad reputation re: the American Dirt nastiness. But I think writing about Travellers also needs to be approached with care and sensitivity, not just as a persona that can be adopted at will for storytelling purposes.
At the same time, I'm also aware of my own ambiguity and ambivalence in thinking about the concept of "cultural appropriation" in fiction, particularly historical fiction. If novelists only explored their own direct experiences and cultural contexts we wouldn't have much in the way of fiction, and I agree that artists need the freedom to engage with stories and characters creatively. I'm interested in Hari Kunzu's writing on this topic: "Since trespassing into otherness is a foundation of the novelist’s work, should we restrict ourselves in some way, so as to avoid doing violence to those who identify with our characters?" In the same Guardian article, other writers, particularly Kamila Shamsie, note a concern for writing with sensitivity, for not "peddling stereotypes" when representing characters whose cultural background deviates from the writer's. "Whose Life Is It Anyway: Novelists have their say on cultural appropriation."
I guess that's where The Outside Boy rubbed me the wrong way - while I don't believe Cummins wrote with hateful intentions, probably quite the opposite, it did feel like she romanticized Traveller lives and voices in a way that felt simplistic and stereotypical. It's a sweet story with rot at its core.
October 20, 2021
(4.5 stars) I love a good Irish tale and this book fit the bill, with a beautifully told story and colorful, memorable characters. A debut novel by the author who wrote the controversial book American Dirt, The Outside Boy tells the story of 12-year-old Christy Hurley, a much maligned “traveler” (gypsy) in Ireland in the 1950s. As the book opens, Christy is mourning his grandfather’s passing and obsessing over a newspaper clipping of the mother he never knew left to him by his grandfather. When Christy’s traveler family puts down anchors in order for Christy and his cousin Martin to be confirmed in the Catholic church, the truth behind his mother’s absence comes to light. This is a terrific book, made even better in audiobook by a great reader. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a well-written, good old-fashioned tale.
January 13, 2025
I know Jeanine Cummins took a lot of heat over American Dirt (which I loved). Outside is set in Ireland in 1959. I hope no one throws a fit that’s she is not Irish.
This coming of age story of Christy Hurley is very poignant. Our 11 year old protagonist is learning that his life and family are not what he thought they were. Christy has to come to terms with so much in this story, starting with his itinerant life as a Pavee Gypsy, his grandfather’s death, his mother’s death, and all sorts of family secrets. Christy starts questioning who he is and where he belongs. It’s a beautiful story, beautifully written.
This coming of age story of Christy Hurley is very poignant. Our 11 year old protagonist is learning that his life and family are not what he thought they were. Christy has to come to terms with so much in this story, starting with his itinerant life as a Pavee Gypsy, his grandfather’s death, his mother’s death, and all sorts of family secrets. Christy starts questioning who he is and where he belongs. It’s a beautiful story, beautifully written.
June 12, 2025
11-årige Christy är resande på Irland. Han har alltid fått höra att hans mor dog sju minuter efter att han föddes, men ett mystiskt foto som antyder något annat dyker upp i samband med farfaderns död. Boken beskriver Christys liv som resande samtidigt som vi får följa hans sökande efter sanningen om modern. Det är en ganska fin berättelse, möjligen lite väl sentimental, men det är en intressant tidsperiod att läsa om och en folkgrupp som inte skildras särskilt ofta i litteraturen.
October 11, 2010
This did not pass the 3 chapter rule. In fact, I barely made it to chapter 2. I found it very slow and uninteresting.
July 6, 2020
Jeanine Cummins has a gift with words. Thoroughly enjoyed this. I will continue to read more from her.
February 12, 2022
I really enjoyed this book until the last 3 Chapters. Without giving any spoilers, the ending seemed implausible and I was disappointed.
June 27, 2023
I’ve just finished this book and I’m ready to start reading it again! A full circle story about discovering who we really are…. And how we accept the truth in this.
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