Bøker av John Mullen

How does life make one feel out of place? An attempted answer can be written in an arrangement of letters. This story takes the reader on a journey of fascination, love and excitement. However, despite the sense of feel-good, there is also a very serious message. The poems, and short stories, have messages of joy, sorrow as well as political. The whole piece is a stirring reflection.

Mark, born into a wealthy family, attending Winchester College with aspirations to attend Cambridge University is faced with degradation. Buying a one-way ticket to Malaga, Spain, Mark leaves the country, fleeing to start a new life for himself.Coming across the time-share company Dream Home in hopes of finding work, Mark gains employment and comes across the sly individuals that lead the company, Dan Maguire and his right-hand man Juan.While learning the ropes of the shady business, Mark is thrown into the deep end after the murder of Juan, starting an endless spiral of danger being thrown into his life. Comisario Sabell, enlisting the help of ex-detective, Baxter, must undergo a deep search into Spanish and Irish crime to uncover the truth behind the murder.Following the main story, there are a number of short stories encompassing themes of love, death, despair and skiing.

Born in the 1930s, John Mullen grows up in poverty-stricken Dundalk, Ireland. Although he has the love of a big family, a warm and caring mother, and great friends, his is a simple childhood with little money to spare and often not enough, even for food. He attends Catholic schools and survives the cruelty of the system in those early days, but his childhood experiences prepare him well for life ahead.We follow John's life story as he faces huge challenges until he can finally enjoy what he has spent a lifetime earning.As working parents, John and his wife Anthea are devastated when their firstborn son, Patrick, after a difficult birth, grows up 'backward' and not able to join the mainstream school system. Through all the frustrations, anger, and sadness, but ever-present love and compassion, they make tough decisions to help Patrick, while caring for their other two sons. But are they the right decisions and what will become of Patrick?

Originally published in French as Chanson populaire en Grande-Bretagne pendant la Grande Guerre 1914-1918 in 2012.