The Greening of Larry Mahon

Dave Duggan

Larry Mahon is single and contented, he travels the world working for a logging company. He does not worry about saving the rainforest or the people who live in it until his Land Rover kills a native boy. Larry is haunted by this incident. Going home to Derry he finds the city and his family divided by sectarianism. Larry does not belong in either world and does not know where to turn. Believable characters and a vividly realised setting combine to make this an enjoyable read with a sympathetic central character.

Extract

The Penan came out of the forest and stood across the road as the Land Rover slewed through the mud. There were men with parangs, others with blowpipes and women with babies on their backs. They stood in the driving rain, impressive in their quietness.
Ilpe wound down his window and shouted at them as he braked to a slithering halt. 'Geta the fuck outa road' he shouted, his English laced with American slang and profanities. He shouted again, this time in pidgin Malay and finally in Tagalog. Still the Penan did not move.

Parallels