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Siobhan Dowd

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A SWIFT PURE CRY

A SWIFT PURE CRY
Siobhan Dowd
David Fickling Books/Random House
Fiction
Hardcover: 0385751087
Paperback: 9780440422181
320 pages

Fifteen-year-old Michelle (Shell) Talent’s life has been difficult since her Mam died a year earlier. Her father has turned to Scripture and alcohol, in an attempt to escape reality and his inner demons. Shell looks after her younger brother and sister, Jimmy and Trix, whom she cares for very much. But other than this, her life isn’t a very satisfying one. She’s bored of church and embarrassed by her father’s newfound religious zeal, which includes gathering --- and taking from --- the collections for the church’s various charities and then spending many of his evenings at the local pub. As a result, there isn’t much money for his children to live on, but Shell manages to keep her siblings happy, even if she’s not.

Things begin to get better when Father Rose arrives in Coolbar. On the surface, it may seem that Shell has a schoolgirl crush on him, but the young priest is a breath of fresh air in the oppressive Irish community. Around the time of his arrival, Shell begins to sense her mother’s spirit and clutches the memories and the few material items that belonged to her Mam --- including wearing the pink satin dress kept in the back of her father’s wardrobe. Unfortunately, this act brings forth a disturbing incident of mistaken identity.

Shell seeks support from both the church and her friends --- the smooth-talking altar boy Declan Ronan and bold Birdie Carroll --- skipping class to share cigarettes and hear the cheeky rhymes that Declan usually makes up. However, the support she does get from Birdie doesn’t last very long. Birdie accuses a confused, naïve Shell of being involved with Declan. Later, Shell does begin a relationship with Declan, though it is kept secret at his insistence.

The following summer, Declan leaves for the bright lights of New York City to find better opportunities than the ones available in Coolbar despite his family’s financial wealth. Shell’s life is the same, but now she has no friends and can’t really rely on Father Rose, whose best intentions are being frowned upon as he also begins to reconsider his calling in life. Unluckily for Shell, she discovers that she’s pregnant and must rely on herself to prepare for the life-changing moment.

Then a scandal erupts in the small community affecting Shell, her family and the church. A terrible crime has been committed, and Shell tries to protect those she cares about. But who will protect Shell?

Despite its themes of family dysfunction and teenage pregnancy, A SWIFT PURE CRY is not a typical fictional example of the dire consequences of teen rebellion. With its lyrical prose and no-holds-bar of emotional turmoil is a heartbreaking yet hopeful family drama centered on a young woman as she struggles to care for her family while trying to understand the life her Mam left behind.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle

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