The Confessions of Nipper Mooney

A swiftly moving narrative that insightfully and often humourously captures the Newfoundland landscape of the 1950s and 60s. The Confessions of Nipper Mooney is in many ways a story of outsiders and exiles - of flickering spirits struggling to contend with the rigours of a shallow education system, an overpowering Catholic Church, and prejudices both overt and insidious. Following the death of his father and a discouraging brush with the supernatural, Nipper Mooney falls under the sway of the eccentric Brendan, a loner and mystic, and becomes fascinated by the inscrutable and silent Paddy Dunne. Later, in a school run by the Christian Brothers, he struggles to maintain his equilibrium as he sorts through the mixed signals of a rigid and often violent school system. The Confessions of Nipper Mooney, full of vivid character portraits and written with a playwright's ear for dialogue, is a compelling story that charts an original course through the beauties and horrors of childhood.