Molly Path
Eugene O’Toole
Hawkwood Books, August 2022
Paperback £8.99
ISBN 9781838024796
Molly Path has stopped going to school. It will take a specialist like Eileen Murtagh to get her to go back. Eileen agrees to take one more case before retirement, and she starts visiting Molly’s house every day. Eileen has been teaching troubled students long enough to know that Molly’s home is not a happy one.
After days holed up in her bedroom while Eileen sits downstairs, Molly joins Eileen, who starts to read aloud to her. This continues day after day. They begin to discuss books and eventually, Molly writes an essay.
Molly believes she doesn’t deserve an education, that everyone at school knows what is going on at home. She believes they know her dad hit her mom and left, that her mom drinks all the money away, and that Molly is hungry and forgotten. Eileen knows what it’s like to have a mother who doesn’t take care of you. Eileen’s kindness and patience pay off, and even Molly’s mother is changed from Eileen’s instruction.
This is a rough, gritty and gripping story. O’Toole weaves a tale of generations of abuse and neglect but balances this by giving the characters this life-changing moment. Chapters are short, and there is some confusion jumping between past and present, but this works to show how far back the issues with mother and daughter go. Ultimately, this is a story of hope, one that promises change is possible. Readers will be rooting for Molly from the first pages.
Maggie Masterson
Throughout the book, Gill places herself as the metaphorical older sibling of each reader, offering advice and wisdom to the younger generation. As a result, there is an almost overbearing sense of familiarity in Gill’s words, one that makes the collection feel like a warm hug on a cold winter day. In each section, she gives voice to the realities of first love, heartbreak, friendship, and family, and provides insight into how to cope with these often mercurial aspects of life.
The only slight issue I found was the excessive amount of characters that were hard to keep track of, as I felt this took away from the development of other major characters, such as Detective Cafferty and Jared. However, this issue was easily overcome by brilliant character development of the main character Mina, adding quite a thrill to the novel, as I felt a sense of connection and relatability to her.
Harris’s story is bursting with colour – his own, and the psychology of what a favourite colour means. Bright and witty, this is a sweet novel with a very readable style. Through Harris, we learn the struggles of everyday life with a wheelchair. Informative, while effortlessly enjoyable. It opens a new perspective on how we view others, and the assumptions that we can make. Harris’s relationship with Nory unfolded beautifully, and Zander’s loyalty to their friendship left me smiling for ages.
Princess of Souls is incredibly fast-paced and hard to put down. There isn’t a lot of time to ponder on the meaning of the Festival of Predictions or breathe in this world before the status quo is overturned. Personally, I prefer when fantasy novels give me a stronger and lengthier introduction to the world before the main events begin. However, this could be better for younger readers to maintain attention and is definitely made up for later in the story.
The sections on taking care of your mental health and coping with all the stressful experiences were lovely to see and there are further resources at the back of the book. I do wish that the chapter on trans people was a little longer and included more trans voices and perspectives, but I understand the limitations that come with writing a book as broad as this.
