On Lily's Bookshelf: Green Grass Grace by Shawn McBride

I am a very visual person. So when I came across the cool orange-yellow cover of Shawn McBride’s novel, I immediately picked it up (contrary to popular belief, judging a book by its cover is a good practice). When the cover included images of a mouth screaming, a pink bra, a baseball, and a statue of the Virgin Mary hip deep in grass…I knew I was going to buy the book. But, it was when I flipped to the first chapter and read the first couple of sentences; I knew I was going to LOVE reading Green Grass Grace.

"Hellfire hallelujah and halitosis. Mike Schmidt sits to pee. How you doing, fuckface? My name's Henry Tobias Toohey.”

How do you turn down a book after reading an opener like that? And the fact that it was said by a 13-year old altar boy didn’t even faze me!

However a lot about the main character, Henry “Hank” Toohey doesn’t faze me. Not the number of f-bombs he drops. Not the number of times he has that awkward boy moment when confronted with pretty women and girls. Not the fact that he has a burning hatred for Phillies’ great, Mike Schmidt (I actually admire him for his vitriol on this subject). But if you had Hank’s problems, you’d be a smart ass too.

Hank is the second to last child of the Toohey family. It’s the last weekend of summer vacation in 1984. And the state of the Toohey family is one of chaos and bitterness. Toohey patriarch, Francis, Jr. is carrying on a not so secret affair with a neighbor. Mother Cecilia is in denial. Middle child, Stephen is still grieving the loss of his girlfriend in a tragic car accident. His beloved kid sis, Cece is trying to keep it together and is falling in love with her first boyfriend, Archie. With all of this turmoil, what’s a kid supposed to do?

How about get his family back together by proposing to his 14-year old sweetheart, Grace McClain?

Set in a blue-collar, Irish Catholic Philadelphia neighborhood, Hank and his friends cruise around trying to pull off the stunt of their lifetimes. And they do it in endearing style. The book made me laugh with its “Our Gang” hijinks and (of course) cry as the Tooheys try to keep it together for the sake of saving face in a very judgmental time. The book is filled with real moments and characters that are truly believable while being larger than life at the same time. In fact, people I know who have read the book and are from the East Coast have noted that McBride did a great job painting a realistic and gritty picture of the mini-scandals of St. Patrick Street.

I give Shawn McBride a lot credit. In Hank, he’s created a narrator that speaks a brand of honesty only a teenager who hasn’t been jaded by life can give. Hank is a walking little man. He’s confident with the ladies (of any age), he’s a smooth schemer, and he cares for his family above all. Even when things look rough, young Hank seems to have all the answers. And the supporting cast of friends and family only enhance his charm and creativity.

But Green Grass Grace isn’t just about Hank. It’s about the strength of family bonds. Despite his family’s dysfunctional (and physically combative) nature, Hank is out to prove that they all really do still love each other. Although judging by the stuff we find out in the first chapter, a reader would find it hard to believe that familial bonds could take much more stress. Even through the biting remarks and rabbit punches, you see in the cracks that the Tooheys are just like any other family in their position. They want to be a family…but they’ve forgotten how to.

Green Grass Grace is an absolutely great read! If you’re not going to read it for the cool cover or find out exactly why Hank Toohey hates Mike Schmidt, then do it for the fact that it’s a great story, good for a ton of laughs, and a few heartfelt moments.