Faloorie Man — Eugene McEldowney

Tender fictional memoir of growing up in post-war Belfast. In one of the most captivating stories of childhood yet to emerge from Northern Ireland, The Faloorie Man traces the early years of Martin McBride, a young Catholic boy growing up on the streets of post-war Belfast. Stark, funny, at times heart-wrenching, Martins coming of age story is set against sectarian division. As he emerges from the cocoon of his family, he faces an uncertain world: the shocking discovery of the difference between boys and girls, the unprovoked fighting on the schoolyard, the torture of education, the doubtful pleasure of illicit sex, and the accidental discovery of a darkly hidden truth.