Micha's Reviews > At Swim, Two Boys

I found it on the discount shelf at a local bookstore and decided to invest. In the beginning, I thought O'Neill was trying a bit too hard to be Joyce (and failing), but he laid off a bit after the first twenty pages or so and I stopped minding it.

Biggest factor in my giving this a three- instead of two-star review is the character MacMurrough, who started out with four different people living in his head, all opposing, who eventually came together into one voice. I totally shipped Jim/MacMurrough more than Jim/Doyle, even though you aren't supposed to. MacM. really redeemed himself in the book, which was unexpected given what you know of him in the beginning, but it was gradual and believable all the same.

But then, I always root for the upper-class man. Awful, isn't it?