An incredible novel--unusual and impossible to put down. ( )

Marnie and Nelly’s parents, Izzy and Gene, a couple of ne’er-do-wells, are dead. The girls have buried them in the backyard and are on their own. Exactly how Gene died is a bit of a mystery, and how the girls are going to survive alone is another one. Of course, they have had a lot of practice taking care of themselves, but while no one cares about the parental neglect, lots of people might be interested in parental absence.

There is just enough humor included in this story to keep it from becoming melodrama. There is a morbid element, but the story is really about the sisters and their relationships to one another and the other people who come and go through their lives. There is decent character development and I especially liked Lennie, the “old poof” next door. What a sweetheart of a character he is.

I had strong inclinations to ditch this in the beginning, but I stayed with it and it improved. It was an impulse read, something I do very little of. So, now back to regular programming.
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3.5*
While I wasn't able to get into the writing style as well within the story, I did think it was a heartwarming tale of two sisters who need to define for themselves who they consider part of their family and what family means to them. I fell in love with the character of Lennie and felt entirely satisfied with the ending of the story. I like how everything was tied neatly together and it made sense in the end how everything from the story ended up being tied together. The main characters were complex and getting to read through each persons' perspective offered a layer which would have been clearly missed without seeing their perspective. While I don't think this is a book that I would read again, it was a cute story. ( )

Unpopular opinion alert! I liked this story, but not its execution. Underage sex, drug use, and unending foul language made me struggle to read it. It’s very short, but took me 3 weeks to finish! I get it; it’s supposed to be “raw” & I’m supposed to be enlightened enough to accept this “accurate” portrayal of poverty-ridden places, well, anywhere. Doesn’t mean I have to like it. Still, it’s a pick for a good story, but barely. ( )

Weihnachtsabend in Glasgow: Die Geschwister Marnie und Nelly erfreuen sich allerdings nicht am Weihnachtsbaum, sondern vergraben ihre Eltern im Garten. Was folgt ist eine wunderbare Charakterstudie zweier verwahrloster Kinder, die sich zunächst allein, dann mit Hilfe ihres sonderlichen Nachbarn Lennie über Wasser zu halten versuchen. Lisa O´Donnell erschafft dazu zwei Mädchen, die ebenso liebenswert wie verabscheuenswürdig sind. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei ständig der Kampf der beiden um ihre Selbstständigkeit und um ihr Recht auf ein selbstbestimmtes Leben. Das Ende des Romans mag ein wenig einfältig wirken, aber es gibt wohl kein anderes Buch, das einen solchen Schluss so sehr verdient hat wie dieses. ( )