''A Son Called Gabriel'' is the 2004

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

by author Damian McNicholl. It was a finalist for a

Lambda Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...

in 2005. Set in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

in the sixties and seventies, this novel describes the

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

and sexual awakening of Gabriel Harkin. Gabriel, a working class Catholic boy, writes in the first person and talks about his life from the age of six to sixteen and there is a dark family secret involving his Uncle Brendan who is a priest in Kenya. Gabriel's story is set against the backdrop of

the Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...

and the religious bigotry of the

Province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Development

McNicholl started writing the novel in 1990, after moving to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It took him 6 months of full-time writing to compose the novel, and another 18 to find a

Literary agent A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers, film producers, and film studios, and assists in sale and deal negotiation. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwr ...

and get the novel to publication with

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, after the editor at GreyCore Press liked the book, but couldn't publish it.

Plot summary

As he grows up, Gabriel starts to suspect that he is not like other boys, and engages in a series of sexually oriented games with Noel, a young male friend. He is later caught in the act by his childhood friend Fergal. During adolescence, Gabriel is convinced by his cousin Connor to sexually experiment with him, learns he is attracted to his own sex, and tries to fight it by trying to make himself attracted to girls. At sixteen, he is also abused at school by a priest Father Cornelius. The story ends with Brendan's revelation and Gabriel about to leave Ireland to go to University in England, and the reader has to draw his or her own conclusions about whether Gabriel will continue his relationship with Fiona – with whom he is in love but can't have a sexual relationship – or reconcile with his homosexual leanings.

Style

The novel's first person voice is a defining stylistic trait. In an interview for Conversational Reading, McNicholl noted that the voice was very deliberately constructed: "I wanted the narration and dialogue to portray the boy’s innocence and growth in awareness as he matures, but I had to be careful because the book is intended for an adult audience and thus had to be sophisticated and credible simultaneously." Publishers Weekly emphasized how this voice does a good job representing its adolescent narrator: Awkward, sometimes tender sex scenes—with both genders—recall all the clumsy uncertainties of adolescence."

Reception

Publishers Weekly called the novel "a worthy debut", noting that McNicholl is a "graceful writer".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Son Called Gabriel, A 2004 Irish novels Irish LGBTQ novels Novels set in Northern Ireland Novels set in the 1960s Novels set in the 1970s 2000s LGBTQ novels Books about the Troubles (Northern Ireland) Novels about gay topics Irish historical novels 2004 LGBTQ-related literary works

Development

Plot summary

Style

Reception

See also

References