Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd

4 stars -- I like it.

Bog Child is a very well-written book. It wasn't one I had to consume in one sitting, but I didn't set it aside for something more exciting either. Not knowing much about the history of Ireland, except in the vaguest of ways, I thought this book brought a lot issues to light without making them too heavy.

Set on the border of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the story follows a few months in the life of Fergus, an 18-year-old boy. Fergus and his uncle discover the well-preserved body of a girl in the peat bog, which brings a love interest to Fergus in the form of Cory, an archaeologist's daughter. Fergus' brother is also in prison and on hunger strike, and Fergus himself is being blackmailed by his brother's friend into smuggling illegals across the border of the two countries.

As I mentioned, I'm not familiar with what I've now learned are called "The Troubles." Although I knew Northern Ireland has been, recently, embroiled with strife, it was difficult to read in about car-bombings and prison hunger strikes and keep in mind that the story also takes place in a first-world country in the '80s. Every now and then Fergus would bring up more-recent bands, and I would have to shake myself to put the story back in its correct time period (my mind kept wanting to place it in the '60s).

I can't say exactly what I like about the story. There's not much in the way of suspense, mystery, or even climax. But the simpleness of the story works for it, and of course, being well-written is always a positive. I might have been partial to the story just because I like the UK so very much and got a kick out of seeing my favorite words, like "minging" and "suss," which I had assumed were more-recently made-up words.

All in all, this is worth a read if you're interested in The Troubles and want to get a glimpse into the situation without becoming completely overwhelmed and depressed. The book never gets too heavy, just as it never treats the situation too light-handedly. Bog Child also gets into the history of Ireland just a bit, and the story lines of friendship, love (or maybe it's just lust), and growing up in general, fit well within the greater context.