Big Girl, Small Town

By: Michelle Gallen

Narrated by: Nicola Coughlan

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD

FINALIST FOR THE IRISH BOOK AWARD FOR NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

FINALIST FOR THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE

“Darkly hilarious . . . Wildly entertaining.”—The Guardian

Meet Majella O’Neill, a heroine like no other, performed by Nicola Coughlan, star of Derry Girls.

Majella is happiest out of the spotlight, away from her neighbors’ stares and the gossips of the small town in Northern Ireland where she grew up just after the Troubles. She lives a quiet life caring for her alcoholic mother, working in the local chip shop, watching the regular customers come and go. She wears the same clothes each day (overalls, too small), has the same dinner each night (fish and chips, microwaved at home after her shift ends), and binge-watches old DVDs of the same show (Dallas, best show on TV) from the comfort of her bed.

But underneath Majella’s seemingly ordinary life are the facts that she doesn’t know where her father is and that every person in her town has been changed by the lingering divide between Protestants and Catholics. When Majella’s predictable existence is upended by the death of her granny, she comes to realize there may be more to life than the gossips of Aghybogey, the pub, and the chip shop. In fact, there just may be a whole big world outside her small town.

Told in a highly original voice, with a captivating heroine listeners will love and root for, Big Girl, Small Town will appeal to fans of Sally Rooney, Ottessa Moshfegh, and accessible literary fiction with an edge.

©2020 Michelle Gallen (P)2022 Algonquin Books

Critic reviews

A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Best Book of 2020

“An immensely lovable debut novel . . . Gallen manages to evoke in us a wave of complex feelings. It’s the kind of magic you’ll feel lucky to find.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post

“Irish newcomer Michelle Gallen debuts with a hysterically honest and moving portrait of a young girl on the autism spectrum, her irresponsible mother, and the residents of a small Irish village just after the Troubles.”—Parade

“An inventively foulmouthed gem of a novel . . . Majella, our clear-eyed protagonist, is far more than a gifted wisecracker . . . Majella is a welcome addition to the diverse family of protagonists that includes young Christopher Boone in Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Hesketh Lock in Liz Jensen’s The Uninvited, and Keiko in Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman, all of whom perceive reality through a similar lens . . . In this oddly affecting novel of everyday defeats, [Majella’s] triumph is more thrilling than any army’s victory.”—The Wall Street Journal

Not my kind of story

This is more a character study than a story where something happens. It’s well written, but to me, ended rather abruptly with no catalyst for the final decisions that were made. I feel like I’ve wasted my time.

Brilliant book, brilliant narrator

This story takes us away from our four walls and tidy lives. The narrator does such an amazing job, worthy of the incredible writing.

Small town Northern Ireland growing up story

Tragic, funny, real. loved it. very easy to embrace young woman as real story teller

Title sums it up in four words

I enjoyed listening to this recording. The story depicts the mind-numbing repetitiveness of life in a small Irish town, and the limited alternative options, as experienced by a heavy single girl who appears to be "on the spectrum". The broader context - sectarian strife, and colonization by the Brits,and the trauma they inflict on untold generations, is skilfully woven into to the protagonist's everyday.

Extraordinary narration

This mystery is actually a sensitive if gritty novel of a quiet, unremarkable life. The decency and struggle of the main character is revealed through the accretion of small details and small actions . There is a lot of focus on body functions and the wretched food she prepares and consumes both at home and at the squalid pub where she serves as cook. But she inspires real sympathy and concern, and the reader cheers when life unexpectedly deals her a transformative reward. The marvelous narration is in an Irish accent so rich that phrases can be difficult for an American reader to catch . I listened twice through specifically because I just enjoyed hearing it.

So enjoyable!!

Loved this book. Got so many LOL moments with it. Very relatable. Nicola was brilliant!

Marjella will stay with you long after you listen

Gallen has created a classic non heroine in a fictional town shaped by The Troubles. The characters from Mammy to the people who come into the Salt and Battered chipper live lives of not so quiet desperation. They have been through so much, expect nothing and look for the "crack" to get them through. The narration is art in itself. I have now bought the book and will give as gifts. Priceless.

Hard to follow

Hard time following the story. The accent of the voice performance was difficult for me.

I enjoyed meeting Majella

and spending some time inside her head.
I’m betting she becomes a mogul, like her mentor J.R. Ewing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Good but challenging

This book kept me engaged and curious about the fate of the protagonist. It ended abruptly and without much clarity or resolution which honestly pissed me off a bit since the author did a good job of immersing me into her difficult life. If I concentrate on the last sentence and use a lot of my imagination I might hazard a guess about how things end (or begin?) for our heroine but that’s not my preference when a book is well written like this one is. Sorry for the mixed review - it was good until the ending which really wasn’t an ending at all.