Vincent Patrick Duffy is a young man in a hurry to experience all that life has to offer. But his lift-off years coincide with some of the most brutal years of the Northern Ireland conflict. And his fictional hometown of Skintown offers little other than drink and drugs. And a spot of fishing.
After a startling encounter with some Loyalist dealers kicks off the tale, it's 78 rpm all the way, other than the time to turn over the record.
But despite the pace, McMenamin fleshes out the characters very well, even minors such as the boss in the takeaway where Vincent works.

The conversations, including interior monologue, are hilarious when appropriate, which is most of the book.

When love/lust shines successfully on Vincent, the reader is hoping all will be well.

But the big, bad world swoops in.

Hi,

Thanks so much for giving me access to this title. I read it a little while ago but it was at a point when I had a bit of a break from reviewing. I did take some notes as I was reading but I feel a bit too much time has passed now for me to do proper justice to it. I really enjoyed it though and hope this doesn't deter you from approving me for future titles.

Thanks,

Kevin.

Set in a vividly captured Northern Ireland in the early 90s, this could well be a marmite book for readers … there’s some brutal and detailed descriptions of violence that aren’t for the queasy. Our narrator is 18 year old Vinny – expelled from school, getting stoned working in the local Chinese, drinking heavily, and getting into fights. Following a chance encounter with some drug dealers, we embark on a long drug fuelled adventure.

There are shades of Trainspotting here, and of 24 Hr Party People, but Skintown is very much its own animal. This is the type of story I am more likely to follow in film than in a book, so I had mixed feelings at times, but this is crying out to be adapted for the screen so can someone make that happen please? McMenamin has a gift for black humour and acerbic asides (“…takes a couple of plastic bags from behind the bar to the toilets and splits the drugs into two smaller prison sentences”) and this is a cracker of a debut novel with a distinctive voice.

Just couldn't get into this one, unfortunately. Not my cup of tea, so won't be leaving reviews anywhere else as I feel it would be unfair when I haven't finished it.

Its 1994 and Vinny is catholic stuck in a dead end town in Northern Ireland with no prospects. The IRA has declared a ceasefire but sectarian violence and the 'troubles'are still there, not yet finished.
The eternal question facing Vinny and best mate Jonty is how to escape the tedium of signing on the dole and wondering where the money for the next pint will come from.
A chance meeting with the religious opposition offers Vinny and Jonty a way out. One nights work selling ecstasy tablets at a rave will be all the money they will need to break free. But life is never that easy as Vinny will discover.
As sectarian violence flares Vinny and Jonty are caught in the crossfire and a tragedy neither could have predicted awaits them.
It cannot have been easy being 18 years old in Northern Ireland during the 90's and McMenamin is extremely skillful in his portrayal of Vinny and the situations in which he finds himself.
I loved the soundtrack of 90's music that played in Vinny's head that was perfectly in sync with his mood. It actually enabled me to feel more connected with the time and his character as I am old enough to remember most of the music!
What came across so well was the sense of being trapped, not only by financial circumstances but also the effect the troubles had on those who lived in Northern Ireland and the deep divides between Catholic and Protestants. It highlighted perfectly how far we have come from that time.
What I didn't expect was the humour that prevailed throughout, that balanced perfectly with the depressing aspects.
What I wasn't prepared for was an ending, that totally knocked me sideways.,
I would love to know what happens next to Vinny and if McMenamin writes a sequel I will be at the front of the queue.
A fantastic debut!

Ciaran McMenamin's debut novel is funny, fast & furious. It's also vicious and violent and gritty and trippy and all round pretty great! The novel is set in Northern Ireland in the 90s and from a perspective that I haven't come across before. The novel follows Vinny, an unemployed 18 year old and his best friend Jonty as they get offered the chance to make some money by selling ecstasy at a rave. The whole Catholic/Protestant thing is there on every page yet it doesn't dominate the story at all. My only gripe is that there was a little too much beating up of people going on. And there is so much drinking and smoking of joints that it's quite amazing they manage to function at all! But then I'm not 18 so what do I know?

I can see this book becoming a movie (great soundtrack too!) and I think Ciaran has a great future as a writer.
Thanks to Ramdom House and Netgally for an advance copy of this book.

Firstly, I have to admit that what originally drew me to this book was the author. I am always intrigued when people from an acting background turn their hand to writing. Although not knowing much about this guy, I'm not certain which came first... but this is his debut novel. Then, when I read the blurb, I knew I had to read the book. Turns out, I made the right decision.
Set in Northern Ireland in the 90s, it's a story about survival and getting by. With the troubles still going on, we follow Vinny and Jonty as they avoid work and play hard. They are best mates, they work together in a rather horrid menial job which they both regard as a means to and end. The end in question being drink and drugs and having a good time. Well, there's nothing really else to do in the small town they live in. Vinny however dreams of escaping... if he could just get the funds to fuel his endeavour. Then, circumstances collide which give him a chance. A chance to make a quick buck. Setting religion apart, him and Jonty set to work for the opposition with a scheme that will springboard them into the world of illicit raves.
Yes, there are parallels with Trainspotting. That's obvious both to the nature of the delivery and cast and their attitudes and antics but there, the similarity ends. This is not Trainspotting does NI, it is something quite different. The author has created a world with characters that I really loved despite their shortcomings. The descriptions of what was going on in NI at that time is very sensitively handled and included in context rather than for any agenda, although at times quite hard hitting. The religious divide is also handled well and shows that things weren't always as black and white (or orange and green if you like) as the characters blur the lines in the face of other more pressing matters.
It's also very funny in parts. The humour, mostly black, adds balance to the more darker aspects of the story. There were also quite a few memory links for those who can remember the 90s so connections were made there too. The action plays out quite visually too. No surprise given the acting background of the author and, like other author-actor's books I have read, seems to come across as something that could easily be adapted as a screenplay with not too much hassle. There is also a good balance between the high-octane action scenes and the quieter, more reflective ones, with a few tender ones thrown in for good measure.
By the end of the book I was actually quite sad to say goodbye to the characters and the world in which they lived. I wouldn't mind having a catch-up in the future.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Skintown is a high octane trip through Northern Ireland in the 90s and a story about luck, divisions, and drugs. The novel is written from the point of view of Vinny, hurtling through a chance encounter that leads to a money-making opportunity and the new experiences that it brings. His first person narration makes for an Irvine Welsh style immersion in the world of drinking, drugs, and sectarian violence, particularly in the vivid description of his first ever rave.

Though it is a dark comedy, the novel does not shy away from the Troubles, depicting both the violence and problems of the divide and moments at which it is overcome for the common cause of having a good time. Skintown is a fast, enjoyable read that would make a fantastic film adaptation.

This book was amazing and I never wanted it to end.

Ciaran McMenamin did a great job with these characters and his descriptions of the early 90s rave culture transported me back in time. Anyone who was about 16-25 in those days should be able to relate to these characters or had to have known someone like these guys.

Vinny and Jonty's relationship is the stuff of dreams. That one friend you'd do anything for and who you know would do anything for you as well. As an adult it's really hard to make new friends so of course we all think back fondly on the times we cultivated these types of relationships. Throughout this book I suffered pangs of nostalgia for those old relationships.

As someone who did not grow up in Ireland, let alone Northern Ireland, I found the narrative surrounding the movements of the time sadly fascinating and enthralling. Of course we all know the history here but to read about it delivered in this form it just slayed me.

Honestly I couldn't put this book down and I sincerely hope Ciaran McMenamin continues to write more fiction. His storytelling was magnificent. The dialogue alone is worth the read here.

Someone should grab the rights to this and make it into a miniseries or a full fledged tv series, the story is way too complex for a simple feature film. Maybe McMenamin has that in is sights as he is also a talented actor.

All in all a fairly decent debut novel. The Irish trainspotting? Hmmm, not quite.

The friendship between Vinny and Jonty was decent. They are both likable rogues in their own way. The highlights and funniest bits for me were the riot, and the chinese shop at the beginning. Also when they enter the club and Vinny takes his first E was decent. The whole chapter where he finds the girl in the club was really well written too. Enjoyed that. Overall though i thought there was a bit too much filler and at times i completely drifted off whilst reading it, not really caring. Theres a lot of Irish propoganda and IRA talk, and i dont know much about it to appreciate it.

A group of lads, have the night of there life's in an totally unexpected and unforgettable way.
Scotland had trainspotting, the Welsh had twin towns, the Irish have now got SKINTOWN,which in my option is the best out of the lot, this book made me laugh,cry,and reminisce,of a great era of music set in an unimaginable time of sectarian murder and violence, vinny and his mates have the ultimate trip a novel I will remember for all my days truly an amazing novel which should be made into a film this as got to be a bestseller it's exceptional from the opening paragraph to the unthinkable end EPIC in every way highly recommend this to everyone regardless of your personal preference