Review of GOOD EGGS by Rebecca Hardiman

 3 Stars

I was looking for an audiobook and came across this title which I remembered a friend had recommended to me.  It provided a few chuckles, but the over-the-top antics are not to my taste.

The book focuses on three generations of the Gogarty family living in Dublin.  Millie, 83, is the zany grandmother.  She is garrulous and exuberant.  Lonely, she engages in shoplifting.  Exasperated with his mother’s behaviour, Kevin, Millie’s middle-aged son, engages a home companion, an American named Sylvia Phenning.  Millie hates the idea of a home aide but Sylvia wins her over with her amenable personality, though there are clear indications Sylvia has her own reasons for being so charming and accommodating.  The third Gogarty is Kevin’s 16-year-old daughter Aideen who is unhappy and so acts out; she is sent to a boarding school but that decision results in Aideen’s becoming more rebellious. 

This is a character novel, but I had problems with all three of them.  Millie is inconsistent; there are times when she is clear-thinking and other times when she is obviously suffering from dementia, so much so that it is not safe for her to be unsupervised.  Are we to believe that when she and her granddaughter take a trip together, her symptoms of cognitive decline disappear, even though changes in environment and routine are a main trigger of dementia episodes?  Kevin is just a self-absorbed dullard who is insensitive to the feelings of others; sending a difficult teenager to a strict boarding school is his best parenting technique?  And his mid-life crisis is just so clichéd.  Of the three, Aideen is the most sympathetic character; she is experiencing typical adolescent angst, trying to find her own identity; unfortunately, the extent of her thoughtlessness tasks this reader’s patience.

The one redeeming quality is that all three characters are forced to acknowledge their flaws and face the consequences of their bad choices.  It is interesting to see their personal growth, though in the case of Kevin and Millie it seems contrived and a bit tardy. 

The book starts slowly with not much happening, though readers will easily predict Sylvia’s agenda; then one madcap adventure follows another.  Millie’s escape and the Millie and Aideen roadshow are a bit much.  The exaggerated escapades border on slapstick, the type of humour I least enjoy. 

This book is entertaining in parts, but it has little originality.  The crazy grannie trope has certainly been done, and much of the Irish humour relies on stereotypes.  Because nothing really sets it apart, the book will not be memorable for me.  Of course, not every book is for every reader, and I admit to not enjoying humour in written form.  If silly antics appeal to you, take this one with you to the beach or cottage.