🎧 The Troubles With Us

✏️ Alix O’Neill
🎤 Alix O’Neill

📍Belfast & Dublin, 1980s-

👥 Alix. Toni. Mummy. Daddy. Gogi. Daddy Devlin. Mel. Nat. Niamh. Mr G.

📎 Memoir

“I’d say I’m Irish first, then Northern Irish. Some days it’s the other way around. I’m a writer, a mother, a European. I’m 60% sourdough, 40% Belfast bap. OK, 70% sourdough. I guess I’m a little bit baguette now too. I’m all my drunken nights in The Cres dancing to Superstar with the girls. I’m the guilt the time our Toni fell through the roof. I’m a St Dominic’s girl and 18 years of novenas. I’m the “hands off my melons” top. I’m Mr G’s love.”

I bloody loved this. I think Alix O’Neill must only be a couple of years older than myself so all of the 90s references got major nostalgia points. Belfast is also one of my favourite cities as the people are amazing - their warmth, their humour, their matter of fact view on things. All of that is captured in this book. 

If you love Derry Girls, this will be right up your street. What Lisa McGee achieves so brilliantly with her series, weaving the seriousness of the Troubles with the life and worries of normal teenage girls, is mirrored here in this memoir. 

I don’t actually feel I can do it enough justice with my review - it delivers on a lot of levels… it’s funny, informative, endearing… and there’s some challenge there through Alix O’Neill’s social commentary. I really recommend it and (if you’re interested) the audiobook is narrated by the author with her beautiful Belfast lilt ❤️