Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill 5/5 Awards: Governor General’s Literary Awards / Prix littéraire du Gouverneur general Nominee (2007), CBC Canda Reads (2007), Québec Writer’s Federation Award for Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction (2007), Orange Prize Nominee for Fiction Shortlist (2008). French: La Ballade de Baby *Thanks to JM for reminding me that I have this blog to keep me busy during quarantine. Summary At thirteen, Baby vacillates between childhood comforts and adult temptation: still young enough to drag her dolls around in a vinyl suitcase yet old enough to know more than she should about urban cruelties. Motherless, she lives with her father, Jules, who takes better care of his heroin habit than he does of his daughter. Baby's gift is a genius for spinning stories and for cherishing the small crumbs of happiness that fall into her lap. But her blossoming beauty has captured the attention of a charismatic and dangerous local pimp who runs an army of sad, slavishly devoted girls—a volatile situation even the normally oblivious Jules cannot ignore. And when an escape disguised as betrayal threatens to crush Baby's spirit, she will ultimately realize that the power of salvation rests in her hands alone. My thoughts By now, it fair to say that I am obsessed with Heather O'Neill. This is the second book of hers that I am reading in less than a year (2019). Lullabies for Little Criminals (LLC) was not as good as The Lonely Hearts Hotel though, to be fair, that would be asking O’Neill to repeat perfection twice. It just lacked a bit of the literal magic of Lonely Hearts. Instead of magic tricks, Baby has the whimsicalness of a child, a constant positive outlook towards the world. However, carelessness, like an old coin, gets duller with every page for the reader as we are faced with a character that seems more naïve than happy. The writing, however, feels much more personal in LLC. Indeed, it is loosely based on O’Neill’s own childhood. The accuracy of the little details is what draws you in. From the street names in Montreal to the clothes that you still see being sold in second-hand shops today to the way of life of poor urban youths. LLC feels grounded. It feels honest and true. It does not sugarcoat anything: not the teenage pimping, the transgenerational addiction, the “you-can’t-hang-out-with-her-anymore” poverty.
The real reason why you should read LLC is not because of the plot or the writing is great, and it certainly isn't because it won awards. The real reason is Baby. Baby. Baby. Baby. She is this twelve-year-old girl that I think about every week. Every time I think of something going bad in my life, I think "What would Baby do?" Now, you might say that I am taking inspiration from a drug addict prostitute child, which arguably is not the best role model. However, her faith and perseverance masked in naïveté are simply what the world needs more of. What would Baby do? Baby would do whatever the hell she wants. Baby would do what makes her happy. Baby would keep going until she figures it out. It is odd to take advice from a little girl. O’Neill makes her sound exactly like one. She does not have complex thoughts; she does not self-reflect. She just likes to get good grades and yearns for love though she does not understand what that is fully. She, like many of us, confuses jealousy or overprotection for love. Likewise, she does not grasp that anger and sadness can be symbols of love too. More to the point, Baby is human. She is every one of us. The plot itself is slow at some point to the extent that some points felt slightly pointless like a wrong turn on the road. However, LLC still manages to break your heart. It hurts you. It makes you feel oh so sad and oh so angry and oh so hopeless that you cannot change much about the way Baby's world works. Yet, it is also a story of hope. That things, no matter how desperate they seem, do get better. These are the stories that deserve to be written about. These are the stories everyone needs to hear about. These are the stories that make us better, kinder humans. If you liked Lullabies for Little Criminals, you will love… La femme qui fuit by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Fish Change Direction in Cold Weather by Pierre Szalowski
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