For much of Mr.
Lynch’s Holiday we wait and watch as Dermot Lynch tries to draw his son out
of the wretched place he winds up in after his wife leaves him. He makes his
attempts with unsteady progress – after all, the younger Lynch has moved from
Birmingham, in the U.K., to the Mediterranean coast of Spain, and the two
haven’t seen each other since the death of Dermot’s wife. The surprising and
endearing turnabout at the end of this narrative rewards the persevering reader
and makes this story well worth taking up.
Dermot Lynch, retired from driving a bus in Birmingham,
decides to surprise his son, living on the Spanish Riviera, with a fortnight’s
visit. He finds his son in a strained existence, reeling from his wife’s abrupt
departure. The housing development, called Lomaverde, consists of brightly colored
cubes on a bluff overlooking the sea. It’s been abandoned by the bankrupt
builder, and has fallen into a state of disrepair shocking for such new
buildings. This motif of shabbiness closely corresponds not only with young
Eamonn’s emotional helplessness but also his youthful self-absorption. His Dad
provides good company for a time, a respite from his quirky
Surprising, gratifying, true to life, and populated with
intriguing secondary characters, Mr.
Lynch’s Holiday deals also with some themes taken from today’s headlines:
the depressed European economy, the hazards and fugitive nature of illegal
immigration, and class struggle. A bit of a slow liftoff, but beguiling as it
goes, and a splendid denouement – this is well done, exceptional.
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