Billy isn't so charming afterall

I found this book at a book sale and originally picked it up because it had a big gold medal on it that said "National Book Award Winner." I thought that it had to be good if it won such a prestigious title, so I bought it.

The book starts off in a bar after the funeral of Billy with his relatives and friends gathered around eulogizing him. Within the first few pages you learn that Billy was an alcoholic and that he did not marry his 'true love,'an Irish girl named Eva.

The story is told mostly by one of Billy's younger relatives, but it switches points of view quite often, from first person, to omniscient narrative to another person's perspective. Through these people, you learn about Billy's life and also the lives of his friends and family.

I found this book quite dull and lacking in plot. There is not conflict and the climax occurs at the beginning of the book with Billy's death. There is no surprise ending or suspense, no twists and turns in the plot. People say that some books are hard to put down, but this one was hard to pick back up.

The characters are extremely detailed and the language is very descriptive. It's easy to imagine yourself in the setting. The characters that may have been the most interesting, Mary, Matt and Kate aren't given much attention at all.

I would recommend skipping this book despite the reviews it got.