Tar and Feathers

Writing against the grain of conventional Irish fiction, Dorothy Nelson explores a demented, dysfunctional Irish family dominated by Da, a manic-depressive thief and liar who has spent two years in prison for exposing himself in the woods to young children and couples. Ma is a weak and downtrodden victim of her husband's violent temper who occasionally flirts with her son Benjee, an overly sensitive boy with little hope for future happiness. As the narrative passes back and forth between the members of the family, Nelson creates a compelling portrait of abuse and its consequences, one that contains both horror and humor in the sexual and social maladjustments of the characters.