Review
Dermot Bolger breathes new life into the Irish Changeling myth, says Verbal
- New Town Soul
- New Island
The Gambler
Set in Dublin’s Blackrock, this story of three teenagers – Joey, Shane and Geraldine – gets much of its mileage from local history and myths.
Joey is flattered to be chosen as sidekick to the charismatic Shane on a fraught first day at his new school. Shane is everything most teenagers dream of – rich, charming and unencumbered by parents or guardians to spoil his fun. The only person unimpressed by Shane is Geraldine, the object of Joey’s affections. But what does Geraldine know about Joey that no one else does? And what does it have to do with the derelict old dairy on the Castledawson Road? Bolger’s first foray into Young Adult fiction is dark, tense and atmospheric – his teens are sympathetically drawn and very believable in their agonies and ecstasies. The supernatural elements of the story are pulled out slowly and never jar or fail to add tension. This is a horror tale in the best old Irish tradition of Le Fanu or Stoker – given a 21st century makeover.
Verbal