Bibliofemme Bookclub An Irish Bookclub

“being abandoned is worse than someone telling you you’re worthless. At least if someone says you’re worthless, they’re still here, beside you, talking.” – Act Three, Naked by Alfonso Morelli

Two people who once meant everything to each other are about to meet again, but ten years later can the spark still be there? Meg is twenty-seven years old. She is stuck in a dead end job and is completely paranoid, delusional and self-conscious. Coming from a broken home with an alcoholic mother she can’t understand why anyone would want to talk to her, let alone listen to what she has to say. Her only saving grace is her amateur drama group where she has just landed the lead role in ‘Onion Girl’. There was a time when she was happy, ten years ago when she had Jack. But he had promised to write…and he didn’t.

Jack, the gambling addicted art teacher. The man who walked out of Meg’s life ten years ago, promised to write and never did, but now he’s back. Their paths cross again and they begin to rediscover the unique bond that held them together while they were teenagers. ‘Onion Girl’ tells the story of teenage sweethearts who have been separated for the last ten years. Unfortunately for the reader the two main characters are riddled with personality disorders and are definitely two of the most misfortunate people in the world. O’Reilly’s book traces their depressing story from a predictable beginning to an even more predictable ending.

Tina O’Reilly’s debut novel, ‘Flipside’, was a good first attempt, but she better go back to the drawing board before embarking on a third.