Irish Winter Pt. 4
Welcome back! This time: sex-talk
As Ian and Devlin waited for the others to arrive, they talked softly, passing the time enjoying each other’s company. “So tell me, Ian lad, have ya ever had a girl of your own?”
So in just a few chapters we went from that terrible stilted speech to people using 'ya' and 'lad' in every other sentence. I'm not sure what I dislike more.
Well, Devlin already had a girlfriend, but Ian didn't.
“Why have you never had a girl? It surely isn’t because of your looks, so what’s the reason?”
Because clearly looks are the most important thing, and all girls (and boys) really care about. OK, it is the first thing they notice...but couldn't he have said 'You look good and seem like a nice guy', because of inner values and these other things that are occasionally important in real life relationships but rarely in romances.
Ian is to busy with his work to meet girls. He works only on three days and is inb the pub all the time but OK.
Then we get this awesome exchange:
“Well, ya must get horny now and then. What about that?”
“What does any man do? I take care of it myself.”
“Aye, well I can tell you it’s more fun when you have help,”
I'm not 100% sure but I do think that I mentioned that thing about Ireland, Irish Catholicism and everything already once or twice.
Per chapter.
Now I'm no expert on the hierarchy of sins in the catholic church. I do think that unlike homosexuality, masturbation didn't result in a one-way-ticket to hell only blindness but it was still considered bad enough. You don't simply ask random people you only met three days ago about these things.
Devlin said as he nudged Ian in the ribs with his elbow. “Are you a virgin then?”
“Just you never mind.”
“Ha! That always means yes. Well, nothing to be ashamed of, my friend, but you need to take care of that one day. You’ll never be the same again, I can promise ya.”
And because it's nothing to be ashamed of you said 'Ha' after Ian seemed not very keen on discussing that topic. And of course it has to be taken care of (that's by the way a similar phrasing that was used in 50 Shades *shudders* ). That's a fact. Ian gets no say in this. And once he has lost his virginity everything will change and he will shit rainbows. Or whatever. That's what Devlin seems to be implying here.
And I will not rant about the obsession some authors have with one of the leads having to be a virgin (usually the girl, here the shyer/weaker one) and the other totally experienced. Go and read any of the 1*-Goodreads reviews of Halo and the person will have most likely phrased it much better than I ever could.
Blah...night, stars etc.
There was no noise coming from the city, a testament to the fact that no one had any money to spare on a Saturday night.
Ian had no problems so far...but I already went off-tangent on that topic once.
The Irish economy needed drastic change and the IRA was convinced that ousting the British was the answer to that as well as many other problems.
And here is another missed opportunity to show the reader some of the characters' feelings. Ian could wonder if it is really the only way (he is a pacifist after all, remember?) but worries about bringing it up because Devlin seems like he is 100% convinced but actually deep down he does wonder about it occasionally, too.
Why am I doing this? I'm not writing this bloody book.
Ian wonders ho it's like getting shot. Devlin tells him he should try and avoid getting shot (now that's a good advice if ever I heard one) and asks him if he has all the medication with him. That's a question he perhaps should have asked earlier. More banter and they intend to take the money for the medication from the British soldiers they're going to shot.
“Now that’s a good idea if I’ve ever heard one. You have a devious mind, Devlin, so ya do.”
“You don’t even know by half!” Walsh answered with a soft laugh.
Why is he suddenly Walsh? When did we switch to last names?
Anyway, then others arrive:
Patrick, Billy, and Murphy.
I think at least Patrick and Murphy were already mentioned but they got no characteristics so I don't really care.
Now they're waiting for Shaun and more unnamed cardboard.
Shane gave a low whistle to let the group know that he was there before walking into the clearing. The group was now complete and Shane began to go over the plan once again.
Thank God we are spared this time from reading it once again.
Next, Shane inspected Ian’s medical kit and was more than pleased.
Because he's also a doctor and knows what needs to be in a good medic-kit.
Now finally for the raid. In any other book this could actually get interesting because you know, this is men with guns against other men with guns and there are a lot of ways in which this could go wrong. This however is just dull:
With no more reason to delay, the raiding party made their move on the station.[...]
They pulled on masks to cover their faces and swung the door open, swiftly entering the basement of the building. Ian watched them disappear, his nervousness growing now that they were actually embarked on committing an extreme and irreversible act of violence.[...]
With the muzzle of his gun, he [Shane] tapped the duty officer hard on top of the head.
“Wake up, you bloody bastard. It’s time to pay the piper!”
[..]
The other RIC members were not so much showed the way down the stairs as booted down, all of them falling into a heap at the bottom. The county boys told the six constables to go down into the basement and Patrick went with them while Murphy searched the area for weapons and keys.[..]
took six rifles, two handguns, and more than six hundred rounds of ammunition.
[..] It was time to finish the raid.
They pick out the men who shot Byron and his mother
Shane and his men took up positions behind the kneeling men. As they cocked their weapons, the prisoners began to plead for their lives. Steeling himself with the mental image of poor Byron and his ma, Shane pulled the trigger. His shot was followed by three more in rapid succession. Four men lay dead in a widening pool of blood.
That all took about two pages and again those two sentences in italics are the only instances where any feelings are described. The book has failed to tell us if any of the other men were ever involved in violent actions and if yes how many have actually already killed people. However the whole thing being only around 200 pages I'd already be content if we just learned a bit more about Ian's Devlin's and perhaps Shane's feelings, but no.
The other thing is that I actually cut out the most boring parts, which means what's left now are just the slightly boring parts. Every single thing goes according to plan in this raid. Nobody makes a mistake. There aren't more people in the quarter than expected. If they Irish are so damned efficient, how come it took them so long to drive the English out of parts of their country (why did they let them in in the first place?).
Again, I don't need a five pages heart-wrenching action -sequence. It would just be nice if I a) would actually care about these characters, which would require telling me more about their feelings and b) worry about them which would require not simply having a 'and then this happened and then this happened'-sequence but a 'and then this happened totally unexpected'.
(This is becoming less and less of a funny spork and more and more an analysis with occasional yelling)
The thing is over and Ian and Devlin rush home and at least acknowledge that they were quite nervous even though they didn't even have to carry weapons.
“Do you think you could do it if you had to shoot someone?” [Devlin]
“I’m committed to doing whatever it takes to drive the Brits out of Ireland and give us a free republic. If that means I have to shoot someone, then that is what I will do.”
“I’m sure you will, lad. I’m sure you will.”
Now you don't. You have no way of knowing if you are really capable of taking somebody's life before you stand in front of them with a gun in your hand. In fact you still considered yourself a pacifist a week ago. (Oh and we're back to 'you' and 'committed to doing whatever it takes' again. Get used to this change back and forth).
Granted, Ian may really wish that he could be that certain...in which case, we would again need some description of his feelings (I want a sticker-set that says 'Tell me what these characters feel' and another with 'Catholicism does not work that way' and I just put them on whenever I need them (i.e. every 2nd page).
They go to Ian's house because it's closer and decide that Devlin stays with him for the night because they don't want him to be caught by the RIC.
Devlin undresses because his clothes are damp from the...rain? Sweat? Do we care?
Then Ian undresses.
Devlin watched Ian take off his shirt, revealing a well-muscled torso that was a combination of physical labor that is required of apothecaries and genetics that Devlin knows much about being a subscriber of Genetics Weekly. As Ian slipped off his suspenders, he caught the other man watching him. Devlin swiftly looked down at his tea and took a sip, glancing up again as Ian dropped his trousers.
They both crawl into bed
“Do you think they got home safely?”
Devlin didn’t ask whom Ian meant. Why should he? It's bloody obvious “Aye, I think they got home just fine, but tomorrow all hell is gonna break lose, just you wait and see. Good thing you don’t have to work at the chemist’s.”
More 'Oh it is so nice of you to let me sleep in your bed'-talk. Thankfully nothing more happens (yet).
End of chapter.
You might need one of those now (or for the following chapters)
