This is an irrepressibly funny and poignant memoir of family life after bereavement.

Anyone with prior knowledge of O’Reilly’s work will not be surprised to learn that this is not a heavy or ponderous read. In fact, it may be one of the funniest books ever written about the death of a parent. There is of course real sadness documented here. Much of it is centred around O’Reilly’s sense of dislocation about what has happened, and his limited ability to frame it afterwards.

Grief is a journey which varies for each person who has lost a loved one and O’Reilly struggles to process his own grief due to his young age. The humour of which emerges from the pages is rightly inserted at the most inopportune moments. Sedaris in style (observational anecdotes in abundance), O’Reilly’s love for his father and siblings is apparent. Expect to laugh out loud, almost constantly, and fall in love with the O’Reilly clan. I cannot recommend this enough. An outstanding read..

It's hard to imagine a memoir about an author's dead mother could elicit actual belly laughs, but somehow, O'Reilly makes it happen.

While this book is often very funny, there are parts where O’Reilly’s humour can come across as a crutch.

... a grief memoir that shuns sentimentality in favor of gallows humor.

A tender, comic chronicle of the author’s upbringing.

Although the first few chapters are enough to leave readers teary-eyed as O’Reilly’s family grieves his mother, one can’t help but feel happiness as O’Reilly describes his affection for his ten siblings and father. He confronts his family history with sharp, witty, and honest humor. His personal experiences highlight the realities, fear, and hardship the Troubles imposed upon his family and the community he grew up in while also providing a unique lens on the explosions, murder, and abduction that occurred during generations past and present. O’Reilly’s recollection is a splendid paradox, both cheery and heartbreaking..

In this rollicking debut, O’Reilly,..renders [his siblings] in deeply affectionate prose.