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Title: Maybe It Helps To Be Irish
Review: Seemingly endless blather about a self-pitying alcholic and his dishonest friend. Interesting use of narrator to create a patchwork quilt of a story which jumps around quite a bit, going off on tangents and then looping back to pick up threads left hanging. I would imagine that this novel may deeply affect those who can recognize some of themselves or their family here, but for those who do not come from this background the motivations are difficult to follow, much less understand. Some great psychological insights but they do not weave together into a cohesive whole, but rather seem like little gems sparkling in the muck. McDermott can write well but in the end I asked myself, "Who cares?"
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