Review: The Agony of Bun O’Keefe

Title: The Agony of Bun O’Keefe
Author: Heather Smith
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Razorbill Canada
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 5, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Set in 1980s Newfoundland, The Agony of Bun O’Keefe is the story of a 14-year-old girl who runs away to the city and is taken in by a street musician who lives with an eclectic cast of characters: a pot smoking dishwasher with culinary dreams; a drag queen with a tragic past; a Catholic school girl desperately trying to reinvent herself; and a man who Bun is told to avoid at all cost.

Review:

After reading Chicken Girl, I wanted to check out Heather Smith’s other books. I loved this one!

This story had a diverse cast of characters, who lived in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Bun runs away from home and ends up moving in with a busker she meets on the street. He lives with a variety of people, including a guy who dresses up in drag as Cher and a chef. The Busker boy is Native Canadian. Bun comes from a mother who was a hoarder. There were many tough issues discussed in this story, including suicide.

I loved Bun! She had a childlike innocence, even though she was fourteen. She didn’t have experience in schools, because she was only sent to kindergarten. She was educated by movies that she memorized. She took everything literally, which created some funny misunderstandings. She read and memorized the dictionary for fun. I loved her innocence. She had to grow up physically and emotionally in this story.

I loved this book! I highly recommend it!

What to read next:

Have you read The Agony of Bun O’Keefe? What did you think of it?