The Anatomy School

Martin Brenna is a troubled boy living in troubled times, a boy who knows all of the questions but none of the answers. This is Belfast in the late sixties. Before he can become and adult, Martin must unravel the sacred and contradictory mysteries of religion, science and sex; he must learn the value of friendship; but most of all he must pass his exams - at any cost. The Anatomy School celebrates the desire to speak and the need to say nothing, moving from the enforced silence of Martin’s Catholic school retreat, through the hilarious repartee of his eccentric elders to the awkward wit and loose profanity of his two friends - the charismatic Kavanagh and the subbesive Blaise Foley. An absorbing, tense and very funny novel which takes Martin from the initiations of youth to the devoutly wished for consummation of the flesh, The Anatomy School is a remarkable re-creation of the anxieties and joys of learning to find a place in the world.