Rachel Reviews: Lakefront Wolves by Joseph Deegan

Meet Finn. He's an 18 year old kid who has potential. He's bright with great school scores and he's also an athlete, a footballer of some prowess. He has it all going for him, it would seem, and yet, he's determined to send what could be a well-planned, stable existence firmly off the rails. He drinks, he smokes, he takes drugs, he has violent tendencies and he's in danger of losing not only his mind but all that he holds dear.

We follow him through his current life which involves hanging out with his friend, Cole with whom he's starting a little business of drug-dealing and ticket touting. He worries his mother, Shannon. He argues with his dad, Conor. He lusts after Cole's sister, Noelle. He takes us back into his memories and we learn more about the motivation for his actions and the experiences that have moulded him. As Finn sinks further and further into a life that skirts crime, more and more is revealed through the narrative about the people with who he mixes as well as the secrets they may hold. Steadily, Deegan takes us from first person viewpoint into a third person narrative which runs in tandem with what we see through Finn's eyes whilst expanding our view of the world of which he is becoming a part.

Deegan writes fluidly in a book that is very easy to follow. His story evolves smoothly and takes us to a satisfactory ending that concludes the action of the book, whilst also leaving room for more.

I will warn you: when I started reading Joseph Deegan's book, I thought that I knew what it was going to be about and for the most part, I was right. However, it still managed to deliver a metaphorical punch to the face which left me reeling. This is actually an extremely apt metaphor to describe the act of reading this book as I felt, on completion, like I'd been pummelled, experiencing things that I never hope to see in my real life but that I'm going to struggle to erase from my mind's eye.

This, of course, is testament to the evocative nature of Deegan's writing and you don't read a book about gangsters in the 1970s and not expect it to show the darker elements of human nature. But be prepared to be shown it in all its gory glory.

Rachel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery where I was privileged to read it as an ARC: