For fans of Marian Keyes, readers are in for a treat when they pick up Jodie Shelley’s second novel, A Thousand Paper Cups, which expertly walks the tightrope between humour and real-life issues. The novel follows an integrated tale of three brothers.
Will has given up a demanding corporate job to start a lawn mowing business. Liam is thinking of asking his girlfriend to marry him, but meanwhile, she is concerned about the string of disastrous parent-teacher interviews she has been conducting, and she is beginning to dread this part of her job more and more. Benjamin comes out to his family, but the response from his father is not what he has anticipated, especially when he cuts him out of the will. Meanwhile, Hugo gets a poor report from Emma, his teacher, which prompts his father to intensify the violence in the home.
There are many strands to this novel, but they are all expertly connected once you get into the story, as characters' lives impact each other in wonderful and sometimes surprising ways.
If you are wondering about the title, it’s a nod to one of the brothers who is forever mangling well-known sayings, and in this case, a thousand paper cuts have turned into cups!
A Thousand Paper Cups has laugh-out-loud moments but also tackles serious themes of homophobia and family harm. Jodie Shelley has a real talent for writing humour (which is very hard to do) while creating a compelling novel that has substance as well. I can’t wait for her next novel!
Karen McMillan
Banks Street Publishing
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