Review of JUNO LOVES LEGS by Karl Geary

 4 Stars

This story of an unlikely friendship between two misfits is set in 1980s Ireland.

Twelve-year-old Juno defends a classmate, Seán McGuire, from school bullies and a friendship develops.  Juno nicknames him Legs.  The two live on the same housing estate and have troubled lives.  Juno lives with an alcoholic father and a downtrodden, life-beaten mother who shows little affection, whereas Legs’ mother is both a germophobe and a homophobe.  At school they are subjected to the cruelties of a Catholic education where corporal punishment and humiliation are a daily occurrence.  The two are separated for a few years but then find each other in Dublin where they once again rely on each other to survive. 

Juno, the narrator, is difficult to ignore or forget.  She’s headstrong, spirited, and intelligent.  Angry at the unfairness of the world, she lashes out, usually making matters worse.  She has good intentions but her combativeness and recklessness create problems.  Beneath her bravado lies a vulnerability she tries desperately to hide.  Few, other than Legs, see the love and tenderness behind the toughness. 

Legs is much like his friend.  Whereas Juno is ostracized because of her poverty, he is an outcast because of his feminine traits.  Everyone in his life, except for Juno, wants him to change and behave differently.  What is most impressive is his thoughtfulness towards Juno.  Like Juno, Legs acts bravely to support, protect, and defend his friend. 

Readers should be warned that this is a bleak book with only occasional glimpses of kindness from others.  Juno speaks of having “’to lord of the flies it in my school every day.”  Only the gestures of a security guard, coffee shop worker, and librarian add a glimmer of hope.    And then there’s that ending . . . readers will have much to contemplate.  One of the most poignant parts is Juno’s observation that “surely we were beautiful children too – why didn’t anyone say?  We should have been told of it, our beauty.”

This is a heart-breaking read that will not easily be forgotten.  I recommend it to anyone who loved Douglas Stuart’s novels, Shuggie Bain (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2020/10/review-of-shuggie-bain-by-douglas-stuart.html) and Young Mungo (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2022/04/review-of-young-mungo-by-douglas-stuart.html).