“A boy with an instinctive love for stories: hearing them, telling them, writing them, performing them.” That’s how Colin Morgan is described in the bio of his debut novel, The Ballad of Ronan McCoy. After reading those words, I went in with even higher expectations and was not disappointed.
The novel begins with the reader meeting Brendan, the 16-year-old protagonist. He’s more of a socially frightened caterpillar, while his best and only friend, Ronan McCoy, is a butterfly. Popular at school, good at sports and academia, Ronan is Brendan’s shield against the trials and tribulations of secondary school.
Brendan works for Mr Feeney at Feeney’s Funeral Home, where he cleans the hearse and other vehicles. However, this job is a secret, as he wouldn’t want anyone at school to spread rumours about the fact that he works with dead bodies, even though he doesn’t. Ronan, however, does know and loyally keeps his friend’s secret.
In the summer before their final year, Ronan suffers extreme brain damage after an accident. He becomes wheelchair-bound and cannot speak. Brendan, shocked and confused, must learn how to navigate a completely new and challenging dynamic to keep their friendship alive while complications of exams, the future, family, and love all start to clutter his mind.
This is an extremely intriguing set-up with lots of potential. At no point did it feel that Colin Morgan bit off more than he could chew. Each chapter is short and concise; every detail and moment grounded in realism is treated with care and of equal importance. There’s never a dull moment despite the heavy topic.
It’s a pleasure to read on as Brendan learns, fails, and succeeds at continuing his close bond with Ronan. He becomes closer with Ronan’s parents whilst he and his own parents have a lot of unspoken baggage to work through.
All of the characters jump right off the page. No one, except a boy in school with his own issues, is unnecessarily cruel or negligent towards Brendan. Instead, all the conflict is quietly and meticulously crafted in heart-wrenchingly real ways.
To avoid any spoilers, I won’t go further into the plot. I believe the less you know to expect going in, the more you’ll get out of it.
As the title suggests, this novel is indeed a ballad. A masterfully written story that sings joy and sorrow at the same time and teaches you that there is always a bright side, even in the darkest of days.
Please do take the time to consider picking this book up at your local bookshop and give it a read. You won’t regret it.
The Pear Book 