Blurb; Routine makes Majella’s world small but change is about to make it a whole lot bigger.
*Stuff Majella knows*
-God doesn’t punish men with baldness for wearing ladies’ knickers
-Banana-flavoured condoms taste the same as nutrition shakes
-Not everyone gets a volley of gunshots over their grave as they are being lowered into the ground
*Stuff Majella doesn’t know*
-That she is autistic
-Why her ma drinks
-Where her da is
Other people find Majella odd. She keeps herself to herself, she doesn’t like gossip and she isn’t interested in knowing her neighbours’ business. But suddenly everyone in the small town in Northern Ireland where she grew up wants to know all about hers.
Since her da disappeared during the Troubles, Majella has tried to live a quiet life with her alcoholic mother. She works in the local chip shop (Monday-Saturday, Sunday off), wears the same clothes every day (overalls, too small), has the same dinner each night (fish and chips, nuked in the microwave) and binge watches Dallas (the best show ever aired on TV) from the safety of her single bed. She has no friends and no boyfriend and Majella thinks things are better that way.
But Majella’s safe and predictable existence is shattered when her grandmother dies and as much as she wants things to go back to normal, Majella comes to realise that maybe there is more to life. And it might just be that from tragedy comes Majella’s one chance at escape.
My Review; I don’t even know how I came upon this probably Instagram but I reserved this at my library and I’m so glad I did. It’s a new release I’d class as young adult/contemporary. It’s about Majella who is 27 and what we would class as plus size. She’s never left her home town, still lives with her mother at home and works in the local chippy.
The book reminds me of derry girls as stated on the cover, parts had me laughing out loud. There is no covering up here includes sex scenes and adult language. But a brilliant read. Majella does the same things daily in this story but it isn’t boring. Majority of the book is set in the chippy she works at with it being a small town she gets everyone through her door and many stories along the way.
Her grandma has recently died so thats a huge part to her story too. The story itself is told over a week and time stamped throughout and I loved the whole layout of it. Like a diary format but a story. I love Majellas character but she seems stuck in her life at the moment. I really enjoyed it! A well deserved four stars from me. Highly recommend.