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A Conversation with
Neville Thompson
author of
the best-seller
Mama's Boys
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One of Dublin’s most favourite authors, who penned the modern Dublin classics
Jackie Loves Johnser, OK? and Have Ye No Home To Go To? has released his first novel
in six years on. Here Neville Thompson speaks exclusively to
Dublin Quarterly about his new novel, Mama's Boys. |
Best-selling author Neville
Thompson is back with a new book about working-class Dublin! His latest novel, Mama's Boys is
sure to put a smile on the face of fans who enjoy Neville’s black humour, but grittily realistic,
novels about the not-so-nice side of the tracks in Dublin. Neville, who grew up in Ballyfermot,
hit the headlines in the late 90s with his smash hit book Jackie Loves Johnser, OK?, and its
follow-up Two Birds / One Stoned. His new novel is set in local areas, such as Ballyfermot
and Inchicore.
Mama's Boys tells the story of two tearaway teenagers who end up
in trouble with the law--and, worse still, with one of the biggest drug dealers in the country,
The Chemist.
Neville explained: “ Mama’s Boys is a heart-breaking story of a
mother's love, no matter what her son has done. In these times of constant headline grabbing stories
of crime and punishment it is easy to forget that behind the headlines are real people with real
families and real feelings.
"This novel tries to look behind the headlines and into the lives
of a typical drug scenario. We get told the story from five angles, the two mothers, the two
wanna-be gangsters and the man sent to kill them. I wanted to write a story that gave us an
insight not just into one aspect of crime but beyond that into the lives of those affected.
Every man and woman is someone’s son or daughter and I wanted to explore that first… to look
at were it all began, before they were even born. I look at two friends Ann Marie and Mary who
were just like any other teenagers. They loved life and though they were best friends their
lives couldn’t be more different. Both become pregnant however while Mary ends up in a solid
marriage, Ann-Marie moves from disaster to disaster.
“When the children are born their lives are entangled. They start
life together and
everything they do they do as one. Life on the streets can be an exciting place and without trying
to glamorise the whole thing of youth crime I wanted to convey how being notorious can be infectious.
Still as they grow they begin to want more than the cheap thrill of a joyride.”
But apart from dealing with the two mothers and their troublesome
boys, the novel explores one of the nastiest characters ever to come out of a Neville Thompson
novel--Bomber.
| "Everyday someone
somewhere is either killed or seriously injured through crime. It is
easy for us to tut in ignorance. I wanted to have a look at the incident from all angles and if
you want to tut at the end of it, that's ok."
|
“With Bomber I wanted to look at life from a killers point of view.
I didn't want to take the tabloid route of he killed so he is evil, rather I wanted us to look at
his life, understand the scenario's and see why, given those choices he did what he did," said
Neville. "Everyday someone somewhere is either killed or seriously injured through crime. It is
easy for us to tut in ignorance. I wanted to have a look at the incident from all angles and if
you want to tut at the end of it, that's ok.”
Amazingly, despite the fact that all three of Neville's novels had
been top three hits in the book charts, this is the first novel by Neville since 2000. Why is this?
“At that stage I had three novels in as many years and I was flying.
Then the wheels came off, I had difficulties with my former editor and despite everyone trying to
resolve the matter, we couldn't. The winding up of the contract was long and drawn out, I had a
nine book deal and just the sheer paperwork of that meant that I couldn't bring anything out.
“It didn't stop me writing though. In 2001 I had a play Sex, Lies
and Butterflies. In 2002 I started to work in prisons and wrote and directed plays for them.
Then in 2003 I had a play called For One Night Only it was the subject of a documentary as
the two lead actors were ex-prisoners. In 2004 I edited a book of prison writing Streetwise with
all royalties going to charity. In 2005 I co-wrote a Fringe Festival show ‘The Masterpiece’ with
a prisoner. I also managed to finish two novels. The original books were translated into French,
German and Greek. When my new publisher, Killynon House, approached me I felt the time was right
to become a published author again. I think the wheels are firmly back on and with a little luck
anyone who likes my writing won't have to wait as long again.”
| "When I was finishing
Mama's Boys there was that incident where two fellows were shot by a hit man and their bodies
thrown into the canal, a similar incident happens in my book and it made me wonder was is it a case
of life imitating art."
|
A French Independent Film Company has bought the rights to Jackie
Loves Johnser OK? And it will be made into a film called ’L’amour de Jacques et Brigette. The film,
according to its director, will be typical French noir film which will feature classic elements such
as a heavy smoking Guitanne stained rain Mac clad anti-hero pursuing a winsome woman with a past
through the rain drizzled Parisian streets. However, the story is not the work of a tortured wine
sodden intellectual reminiscing about the 1960’s student riots, but rather a Dublin novelist from
Ballyfermot, Neville Thomson.Nine months ago, the book was released into French where upon it raced
up the bestseller list under the title L’amour Ouf. A big success in France, the film rights were
snapped up by acclaimed film producer and writer Alain Ettal.
L’amour de Jacques et Brigette’s original name was Jackie Loves Johnser,
a gritty kitchen sink love affair set amidst a crumbling local authority housing estate featuring
lovers from the wrong side of the tracks living in dangerous and sometimes hopeless circumstances.
The book which was originally published ten years ago became a runaway best seller for Neville
Thompson selling an astonishing 17,000 copies, an exceptional run for the Irish market.
At the time the critics raved about the book, and in one glowing
review the Irish times wrote: Neville Thompson shows a screenwriters discipline and command not
found in many literary novelists. The RTE Guide were equally fulsome in their praise and said:
Realism so gritty it’s like urban concrete between your teeth. The success led to a nine book
publishing deal with Poolbeg, a publishing arrangement which would have kept the author busy for
the remainder of his life.
Alain Ettal who had a major continental wide success last year with
the film Narco immediately set about putting the finance in place and commissioning a screen play.
The film will have a 10 million euro budget with shooting due to take place later this year. “I am
absolutely delighted, the film deal was only signed in May. It’s amazing because the book had been
around for ten years and suddenly within six months of the French translation a film deal comes
along. A film based on one of my books would never have materialized here,” explained Neville
Thompson.
“The film will be very much French noir, very atmospheric and moody
as only the French can do. Alain also bought the film rights to my second novel Two birds one
stone,” added Neville Thompson.
The 45-year-old author has worked as a prison writer in residence
in Mountjoy for a past number of years. Not surprisingly his subject matter is Dublin’s underbelly
and he writes about the seamier side working class society in all its colours.
“I go all over the country with Poetry Ireland
visiting schools,
and in my day the problem was drink and a bit of hash, then it graduated onto heroin now they are
into crack cocaine. I seriously believe that we live in very frightening times.”
The author recently completed Mamas Boys, which is about two
kids whose ambition is to be gangsters, an ambition they eventually realised that proves
deadly for all concerned. “When I was finishing Mama's Boys there was that incident where
two fellows were shot by a hit man and their bodies thrown into the canal, a similar incident
happens in my book and it made me wonder was is it a case of life imitating art,” added
Neville Thompson.
* * *
*Neville Thompson's Mama's Boys is priced €9.99 and is published
by Killynon House Books. Also Neville has another book out in June, A Simple Twist of Faith, about
an Irish man who falls in love on holidays with a Thai prostitute!
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2004-2007 the Dublin Quarterly--to see familiar things with unfamiliar eyes!
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