GIANT

Two Irish boys growing up near each other but inhabiting entirely different worlds develop a close bond.

This fictionalized account of the childhood of C.S. Lewis opens in Belfast in 1908. Twelve-year-old Davy Caruth and Clive “Jacks” Lewis, nearly 10, meet when Davy accompanies Ma to her housekeeping job at the Lewis’ grand home. Davy’s Da used to work at the shipyard, but with his bad back, he now sells bread from a cart. The family barely scrapes by. Despite their differences, Jacks and Davy bond over a love of reading and escaping into their imaginations; Jacks shares his books with gifted artist Davy, who illustrates his friend’s stories. Their lives diverge when Davy, at age 13, goes to work at the hazardous, grueling shipyard. Not long after, Jacks’ beloved mother dies, and he’s shipped off to a harsh boarding school in England with his brother, Warnie. Sensitive Jacks is miserable, but letters and drawings from Davy lift his spirits. Jacks encourages Davy in his artistic pursuits, which ultimately lead him to take technical drawing classes and get a job designing ships rather than building them. McQuoid uses rich, carefully chosen details to evoke the historical setting. Notably, she compassionately shows the impact of social class constraints and personal hardships on each child without minimizing either of their experiences through simplistic comparisons. The evocative, often poetic, writing will appeal to thoughtful readers.

A quietly charming, warmhearted story of enduring friendship.