Gypsy Boy by Mikey Walsh: A Book Review
Recommending a favourite book does not always result in shared enjoyment. One man’s meat can be another man’s poison. Gypsy Boy by Mikey Walsh has not given me such concerns. Sharing such a great read has only received gratitude. I am not alone. The phenomenon has been fueled by word of mouth and celebrity endorsement via Twitter, helping Gypsy Boy scale the Sunday Times bestseller list.
This biography of the early life of Romany Gypsy Mikey Walsh – not his real name – lifts the veil on a childhood growing up in a world often hidden in rumour and myth. The moving story unfolds as Mikey introduces a host of colourful characters and descriptions of daily ducking and diving on a Gypsy camp.
We are invited to witness the often heart-wrenching episodes in Mikey’s early childhood, all recalled in his honest and warm voice, encouraging us to look closer rather than to immediately judge. One especially painful incident sees Mikey, from the age of four, being forced into boxing with older lads to protect the Walsh family name.
Although a Gypsy boy tradition, boxing is not something Mikey relishes. Inevitably, given his lack of enthusiasm (or physical presence), his lame efforts at street fighting bring family shame rather than the praise his dad would have preferred. This acts as a catalyst to an onslaught of bitterness and resentment from his drunkard father, often taking the form of brutal beatings and banishment.
Don’t get me wrong: this is not a grimy story of self pity to rack alongside so many other tears and beers memoirs. It is not a plea for sympathy. Even the moments when recalling the shocking treatment at the hands of his father or a harrowing and graphically described sexual encounter with his uncle are peppered with the warmth and humour that help Mikey distance himself and survive such episodes. As testament to his strength of character, in a story of such strong male figures, Mikey comes across as the bravest kid in the camp.
There is plenty to enjoy in how Mikey writes, as in the descriptions of his larger-than-life family (such as shoplifter Aunt Minnie) and the comic antics of his cousins and sister Frankie. Some of the most touching moments involve Mikey’s relationship with Frankie, such as when Mikey takes to dressing up in his mother’s clothes and make-up and runs wild with Frankie. But there looms the fear of repercussions if they are discovered.
As young children they are inseparable and watch out for each other but, as they head into their early teens, a rift develops and Mikey finds himself washed up without an ally.
Mikey succeeds in gaining our compassion. We care about what might happen to him, especially at those times when dread lurks over the page as we fear the discovery and inevitable punishment for some adventure or act. Throughout the book, we remember that by telling his tale Mikey has gone against the unwritten Gypsy code of secrecy and has breached the barrier between them and Gorgias – the community’s term for non-Gypsies.
That mistrust of Gorgias soon takes on a whole new dimension. Falling for a young Gorgia man and being gay simply stacks up too many taboos for Mikey and threatens to bring the whole Gypsy world crashing down on them both. As their relationship develops in secret, they come closer to their plan to flee from the restrictions placed on them by Mikey’s community and family. Inevitably, all does not go quite as they would have hoped.
At the end of the book, a happier Mikey is seen some years later. It is clear that he has survived the torment and now leads a successful life surrounded by good friends who appreciate him for the kind-hearted and genuine young man he has become.
Gypsy Boy is a genuinely moving memoir of a young boy’s struggles as he comes to terms with his true self and fights to survive the unfair pressures of a home life that fails to provide security or support. Mikey speaks with an honesty and humour that makes Gypsy Boy an enjoyable, memorable and fulfilling read. This skill is all the more strengthened when realising that Mikey taught himself to read and write in a culture of virtual illiteracy.
Happily, Mikey has wrapped writing on the sequel, Gypsy Boy II: On the Run, picking up the story in his late teens as he establishes a life for himself away from the camp and with his taste for adventure renewed.
Until the release of Gypsy Boy on the Run (7 July 2011), take my recommendation and buyGypsy Boyin paperback or audio book (voiced by Mikey, available via iTunes), before the phenomenon moves on with the planned film version.
* ALSO READ MY REVIEW OF THE SEQUEL GYPSY BOY ON THE RUN.
7 / 10 / 2011 9:36 pm
Just finished reading Gypsy Boy on the Run. First book that i’ve read in years that has brought a tear to my eye. Mikey Walsh is a person that you can warm to. A book that has given me an insight into the way my Romani boyfriend thinks.
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