AustLit

'As the Great Depression of the 1930s worsens the O’Casey family finds itself facing an uphill battle to survive. Like many fathers of that time, John O’Casey leaves his family to go in search of work. Back at home, his wife Margaret has to raise their three young children. Daniel, the eldest child, takes it on himself to try to raise money for the family. He wants to be ‘the man’ but that’s close to impossible for someone who’s just 12-years-old. His best friend is Bede Holland, a boy who has no trouble bending the rules, or using his fists when he feels he has to. Daniel has a much more placid nature, yet he is determined not to appear weak in Bede’s eyes. He doesn’t want to lose him as a friend, because he hasn’t got any others. As he says, ‘some kids aren’t good at making them’.

'Apart from Bede, Daniel’s main confidant is his sister, Adelaide. Even though she is nearly two years his junior, she is often the voice of reason Daniel needs to hear when he is faced with a moral dilemma. There is much good-natured teasing and playful banter between them, as there is with the youngest child, Lydia, who has just started school. Despite the difficult circumstances the O’Casey’s sometimes encounter, they remain stoic and face their problems head- ‘That’s how life is, their mother says. ‘We can’t run away. As long as we all stand together, we can get through anything’.' (Publication summary)