Roddy Doyle’s Brilliant Shines a Fantastical Light on Depression

Charlottetaylor

Roddy Doyle, superb Irish writer for kids and teens, has written another great story for young readers. In Brilliant, unhappiness is spreading through the city of Dublin. Raymond and Gloria welcomed their uncle into their home when the economy tanked, putting him out of business, but watching their parents and uncle become more and more gloomy is getting to be more than they can take. So when they hear their grandma say that the Black Dog of depression has stolen Dublin’s funny bone, they decided to take matters into their own hands, and set out into the night to track the Black Dog down.

Notes From Your Bookseller

They chase his shadow through the dark streets, armed only with the sarcastic charm dear to Dubliners—the word “brilliant,” used not just when things go well, but when the milk is spilled or when even greater misfortune strikes. The clarion call of “brilliant” lights up the night, and more and more children come out to join them, chasing the Black Dog on a mad race that leads through the city’s zoo (where the animals add their own very amusing comments to the situation) and on out to the harbor. The Dog fights back with his own insidious refrain of “useless”, which threatens to overwhelm the children, but in the last great face-off their conviction of brilliance wins the day.
The chase is exhilarating, and it’s great that the kids are victorious. But since depression is not so easily fought off in real life, this might seem flippant for the kid actually struggling with darkness in his or her own life. On the other hand, the fight against feelings of uselessness is one many kids struggle with, and the exhilarating battle against the Black Dog is cheerfully rousing. Humor and determination win in this particular battle, and are certainly good weapons to have in real life!
I’m happy to recommend Brilliant, but while I’m on the subject of Roddy Doyle I must also mention one of his books that is just about the best ever book to read aloud to six year olds that I know of—The Giggler Treatment. The Gigglers are fantastical creatures who keep an eye out for grown-ups who are unjust to kids, and punish them by leaving poo for them to step in (six year olds, admittedly, find this part of the story more hilarious than grown-ups). But in this book the grown-up doesn’t deserve this treatment, and his kids, and the dog responsible for the product, rush to stop him before he takes the fatal step. There is a lot more than just the poo to laugh at, and I really can promise that it is wonderful. I’d go so far as to call it “brilliant.”
Have your young readers read Roddy Doyle yet?

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