2011 Longlist
John the Revelator
ABOUT
THE BOOK
John the Revelator is narrated in the compelling voice of an introverted, watchful adolescent, John Devine. Stuck in a small town, worried over by his single mother – the chain-smoking, bible-quoting Lily – and the gregarious but sinister Mrs Nagle, he yearns for escape. When Jamey Corboy, a self-styled Rimbaudian boy-wonder, arrives in town, John’s life suddenly fills with possibilities – welcome and otherwise – and as he hides from the reality of his mother’s ever-worsening health, he is faced with a terrible dilemma.
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
A tremendously powerful novel which transforms the daily tedium of small town life, adolescence, friendship, family, religion into a fascinating and magical tale of literary richness.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Country
Ireland
Original Language
English
Publisher
Faber & Faber
Nominating Library