‘Ready, Ma,’ I say, putting my arm around her shoulders, her leaning on me, me leaning on her, both of us protecting, shielding the other.
We’ve spun in a trolley round the back of the flats, eaten screwballs with sprinkles and sauce, snuck into The Plex, with plastic bags of popcorn, fizzy worms and Coke, fresh from kicking sandcastles at Dollymount Strand, and we walk my bike up to the top of the hill, and with Ma on the back and Sabine on the bars, I cycle like the clappers down Captains Hill.
Acknowledgements
Firstly, to the phenomenal Louisa Joyner, whose name should be on the front cover next to mine. Thank you for being so intuitive, encouraging and patient, and for challenging me to deliver the very best book that I possibly could.
To my amazing agent, Sophie Lambert, ‘what’s for you won’t go by you’ never being more true in this case. Thank you for getting the book, and me, and for taking the boys into your heart immediately.
To Louise Buckley, for believing in this book from the very beginning and advocating for it with such passion and care.
To the whole team at Faber, who have made the process of publishing my debut so enjoyable. Libby, Seán, Niriksha, Phoebe, Sophie, Lauren and a whole host of people I know I’m forgetting. Thank you for being so fantastic and kind and for never making me feel like I hadn’t a clue what I was doing.
To Claire, who copy-edited with such sensitivity; to Djinn, for her eagle-eyed proofread; and to Anna Morrison, for the absolute stunner of a cover. Becky, thank you, you have captured the heart of Boys Don’t Cry so perfectly.
To Kildare County Council Arts Services, for their continued support, the National Arts Council of Ireland, whose literature bursary award was invaluable in allowing me the time and space to complete this book, and to the beyond-wonderful Ferdia Mac Anna, who I was privileged to be paired with through the Words Ireland national mentoring programme. Thank you all for your belief in me and this book.
To the incredible University of Glasgow Creative Writing Department, Colin, Zoë, Carolyn and Laura, thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone and for giving me the confidence to trust in my own writing voice. This book would not be in existence without you.
To my wonderful colleagues at St Anne’s Primary School, thank you for always being so supportive.
To my writing tribes, the inspirational Dooligans, with our leader, Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, and my beloved VWG. I honestly am so grateful for all your encouragement, love, friendship and, most importantly, making me laugh every single day. You all know who you are.
To my early readers Wiz and Julia, for giving me the confidence to keep going. To Cat, who after reading my first round of edits convinced me it wasn’t all a total pile of shite, and to Dan, who kept me sane in the roller coaster that is being on submission. I hope you all know how much I appreciate and value your generous friendships.
To my beautiful family and biggest cheerleaders – Mam, Dad, Sarah, Oisín and Rónán – who show me what it means to be unconditionally loved, every single day.
To my gorgeous Da, who unfortunately never got to see this book in print, but whose inspiration is all over these pages, who believed without question that one person can make a difference, and that we should all at least try.
To every single nurse working in end-of-life care. Please know that your compassion, respect and kindness means so very much, and will never be forgotten.
To Dermot, my absolute rock and very best friend, for knowing that I would see this day, even when I didn’t believe it myself, especially when I didn’t believe it myself.
To my Molly and Charlie, showing me the fierce friendship, loyalty and inseparability of a true sibling bond like no other.
And finally, to all the readers who find this in their hands, thank you for taking the chance.
About the Author
Fíona Scarlett is from Dublin but now living in County Kildare with her husband and two children. She holds a MLitt in creative writing from the University of Glasgow and a masters in early childhood education. She was awarded the Denis O’Driscoll Literary Bursary through Kildare County Council in 2019 and a Literature Bursary Award through the Arts Council of Ireland in 2020. She works full-time as a primary school teacher. Boys Don’t Cry is her debut novel.
Copyright
First published in 2021
by Faber & Faber Ltd
Bloomsbury House
74–77 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DA
This ebook edition first published in 2021
All rights reserved
© Fíona Scarlett, 2021
Cover design by Faber
The right of Fíona Scarlett to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 978–0–571–36522–7
Boys Don't Cry Page 15
