I was sent this book to review by The
Book People and really enjoyed it. I never would have
picked this out myself as the cover isn’t the most inspiring but it’s well worth a read.
The story is told from two different points of view, a 14
year old gypsy boy called JJ and a middle aged half gypsy private investigator
called Ray. Although from two different families, the characters lives get
entangled as they both find out more about their background and unravel the
mysteries of the Janko family. I think that all of the characters are likeable
in their own way, although some are harder to get to know than others.
The story has a few unexpected twists and is enjoyable to
read. I particularly liked the sections written from the point of view of JJ as
they gave a good insight into the mind of a teenage boy who is, through no
fault of his own, a bit of an outsider due to his ethnic origin.
The book is set in the 80s, but I felt that it was quite
timeless and could have been set today. I was a little disappointed that there
wasn’t more focus on the ways of the gypsy traveller community, but the book
did portray well that not every gypsy is like those you see on Big Fat Gypsy
Weddings.
I would recommend this book and would like to read more,
particularly about JJ and the Jankos. The ending was quite open so I can imagine
the author writing more in the sequel.
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