Charming Billy
 | |
| Authors | Alice McDermott |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Literary fiction |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Publication date | December 1997—Early 1998 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback), kindle, audiobook |
| Pages | 280 pp |
| ISBN | 9780374120801 (hardcover 1st ed.) |
| OCLC | 38161224 |
Charming Billy, a novel by American author Alice McDermott, tells the story of Billy Lynch and his lifelong struggle with alcohol after the death of his first love.[1] The novel was published by FSG in 1998[2] and has since been republished by Picador (as a Picador Modern Classic).[3] It won the National Book Award for Fiction[4] and the American Book Award,[5] and was shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award.[6]
Plot summary
[edit]The novel's nameless narrator begins the story at the funeral of her father's cousin, Billy Lynch, who died of alcoholism. Billy's large Irish extended family reminisces on his tragic life and good character; despite his struggles with alcoholism, he was known as kind, intelligent, and faithful. Many recall Billy's fiancee Eva, an Irishwoman who died before they could marry. None know whether Billy's wife, Maeve, knew about Eva.
The narrator's father, Dennis, reveals the real story of Eva to her. Shortly after finishing their service in World War II, Dennis and Billy met her and her sister Mary at Dennis's stepfather's cottage on Long Island, where the sisters served as nannies for a wealthy Chicago couple. Billy quickly fell for Eva and took a significant loan from Dennis's stepfather to pay for her to come to the United States. Dennis reveals that Eva is still alive: she had married another man, taken Billy's money to buy a gas station, and enlisted her sister Mary to tell the news to Dennis, with whom she had a relationship. Distraught, Dennis ended his relationship with Mary and told Billy that Eva died.
The news leads Billy deeper into depression and alcoholism; though he married Maeve (who did know about Eva) and remained faithful to her, he would often call Dennis late at night to ask how God could treat Eva so cruelly. For decades, Billy refuses to visit the cottage on Long Island, which Dennis's mother eventually rents to a man named Mr. West, who left his wife and children. Billy later realizes the truth while on a retreat to Ireland to take an abstinence pledge: while going to visit Eva's grave, he meets her in her family's gas station, where she confesses her guilt and embarrassment and offers to return the money. She further reveals that Mary refuses to speak to her; she never married and blames Eva for ruining her relationship with Dennis. Billy quickly relapses into alcoholism, dying some years later.
The narrator reveals that she married Mr. West's son, Matthew, whom she met while they were both visiting the cottage--she had been telling the story of Billy and her father to Matthew the whole time. Their marriage eventually leads the West family to reconcile. Dennis, whose wife Claire died years before Billy, later marries Maeve and moves to the cottage.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Charming Billy book review". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Charming Billy First Edition Notes".
- ↑ Swanson, Clare. "Picador Set to Launch Modern Classics". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ↑ "National Book Award Winner". www.nbafictionblog.org/. National Book Award Foundation. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Previous Winners of the American Book Award" (PDF). beforecolumbusfoundation.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Shortlist titles (2000)". .impacdublinaward.ie. The International IMPAC Dublind Literary Award. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Charming Billy at Goodreads
- Charming Billy on Macmillan
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