Headbanger [Paperback]

Hugo Hamilton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2001

In a cinema verite style, Hugo Hamilton decimates cliches of cops and robbers with doses of smoldering Irish sectarianism and the realities of a seedy, postindustrial Dublin. “Coyne is a majestic creation.... If Flann O’Brien’s lunatic Professor De Selby had genetically engineered a cross between the novels of Raymond Chandler and those of Patrick McCabe, this is what the progeny might well have looked like.” — The Times (London)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Published now for the first time in the United States, this 1997 black comedy is the introductory volume in an ongoing series about Pat Coyne, an Irish cop burdened by both personal and professional problems, most of his own oafish making. Coyne spends his days on low-level patrol in Dublin, rousting bums, chasing two-bit thugs and keeping an eye out for such minor infractions as public urination. He also dispenses more than his share of street justice, doled out enthusiastically in a fashion that has earned him the nickname Mr. Suicide. Coyne wishes, however, for greater professional challenges. So he launches his own off-duty crusade to catch the Cunningham brothers, Mick and Drummer, who control the local drug traffic. Meanwhile, Coyne's home life spirals humorously downward. He tolerates a nagging, disapproving mother-in-law, crushing financial problems and a wife he suspects may be falling under the Svengali-like spell of her amorous art teacher. Coyne's life is so anxiety ridden that only one thought keeps him from running away from it all: he still hasn't finished building the swing set in the backyard that he has been promising his three kids. Hamilton's intimate approach to storytelling the book's voice is that of a harried father spilling his guts brings readers deep inside Coyne's skewed world. It's a funny, tragic place to be, yet one offering a clear glimpse into such issues as male honor, professional ambition and family values in crisis. There's no word yet on whether the publisher has any plans to bring out the sequel, Sad Bastard, previously released in the United Kingdom.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: Four Walls Eight Windows (May 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568581955
• ISBN-13: 978-1568581958
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,459,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Meet Dublin's Man of La Ma, January 26, 2002

By 

D. Kaplan "sleuth029" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Headbanger (Paperback)

When I ordered "Headbanger," I thought I would be reading a police procedural that takes place in Dublin. The only thing I got right is the locale.

Basically, "Headbanger" is the story of Pat Coyne, a police officer in Dublin who is determined to arrest some big-time criminals who have evaded the law for years. The problem is that Pat does not have the support of the Garda or his fellow police officers. In Pat, we meet the ultimate maverick police officer who takes it upon himself to bring these drug lords and murderers to justice single handedly. He employs methods that are not only are outside the system, but are downright illegal.

In the course of his single-minded determination to bring down these bad guys, Pat also manages to get himself involved in the lives of friends and strangers alike, none of whom welcome his attentions. This is a man who reacts without regard to the consequences of his actions. His rash behavior could prove dangerous not only to him and his beloved wife and children, but to anyone who comes in contact with him.

Pat thinks it is his responsibility to make things right for the whole world. Quite a tall order for one man. But, you see, Pat is on an endless search for the meaning of life and what role he can play in setting things right. You can't help but love this guy whose greatest joy is quoting inane statistics about everything in the world you didn't care one whit about to anyone who will listen...or pretend to listen...and spending time with his family.

"Animosity" has scenes of hard-boiled violence, sensitive character explorations and, at times, is just plain funny. The book has no chapters or quotation marks around the dialogue. At first, it was slow reading but once I got into the rhythm, the story flowed. For this reason, I am rating the book four stars instead of five. If I could, I would rate it 4-l/2 stars.

I can't wait to read the sequel to this book to see what kettle of fish this loveable loose cannon has gotten himself into.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oh Lord Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, April 26, 2002

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Headbanger (Paperback)

The loner policeman/detective has been a staple protagonist in crime fiction and film for the better part of a century, however here we find Dublin Garda (policeman) Pat Coyne not in this role, but rather as a portrait of a middle-aged man disintegrating. While his partner prattles on about golf, Coyne is pondering the bigger problems of the world, especially environmental ones. Unfortunately no one-not his colleagues, nor his wife and kids, or harridan mother in law-seem to understand him. His frustration manifests itself in increasingly rash acts on the job which earn his the nickname of "Mr. Suicide" as he goes to extreme lengths to clean up Dublin's streets of all its criminal trash.

Over the course of the book, his transformation from misunderstood family man to Dirty Harry starts veering more and more toward Travis Bickle territory as he encounters a criminal's girlfriend and is struck by the need to protect her. This pits him against the city's nastiest gangsters in a series of impulsive, clandestine, off the job actions with their own repercussions. Meanwhile, on the home front, his wife is throwing her self into painting, and possibly the arms of her instructor, which only ratchets up Coyne's breakdown. The climactic showdown brings all these threads together and resolves them with very symbolic actions.

Ultimately, the book, while an enjoyable quick read, is not the tour de force the cover would have you believe. It is refreshing to find an Irish novel that doesn't tread upon the topics of religion and sectarianism (although the jacket copy writer seemed to think otherwise) for once. There are enough unexplained elements though, to leave readers scratching their heads. For example, in the very beginning, there's a chase scene, and an axe is thrown at Coyne and his partner. There's no talk of taking the axe in as evidence, taking prints off it, using it to convict anyone, it's just like "Oh, well someone through an axe at us, hopefully we'll run across them some other time." Coyne has a sort of mentor/father figure who dispenses Obi-Wan type advice to him from time to time, who seems to exist only to point Coyne in the right direction (ie. keep the plot running). And finally, although Coyne is clearly self-destructing and not thinking through the consequences of his actions, it's hard to believe he'd so blithely put his family in the danger he does. It's hard not to compare Coyne (and the book), to Irvine Welsh's imploding Edinburgh police detective Bruce Robertson in the much more inventive and rewarding "Filth." Still minor problems aside, it's well worth reading if you're into modern Irish literature, plus, Coyne's story continues in "Sad Bastard."