How does a father cope with the suicide of his firstborn? Big Billy Brennan, loving husband and father of four, won't accept his family's efforts to move on from grief. He knows the townspeople, with their "small mouths and sour faces," are whispering and gossiping in the Irish village where his house abuts the family farm. Why did 17-year-old Michael cut down the clothesline and hang himself in the woods? Nobody knows, and in Ethel Rohan's debut novel, The Weight of Him, Billy takes bold steps as he tries to salvage some good from the tragedy.
Billy acknowledges that, massively overweight, he was "killing himself, not nearly as swiftly or brutally as Michael but killing himself just the same." Shy as a boy and scorned by his father, he'd taken refuge in food, hitting 250 pounds at 15. Loaded burgers and "thick, salted, vinegar drenched chips" are a continuing comfort. By the time he resolves to diet to spare his family "another premature funeral," he weighs 401 pounds. When his children's school has a walk-a-thon, Billy is inspired--why not gather pledges for each pound he loses, donate the money to suicide prevention efforts and hold a march to draw attention to the cause?
While Billy is struggling to drop the weight, enduring his family's horror at the attention he's drawing and grieving Michael's death, his determination and success build slowly. The omniscient narrator reveals the alienation of Billy's youth and his growing self-confidence. He is an engaging character as he heals and perseveres, and his family's sorrow eases as they rally to support him. While the grief over Michael's death never subsides, Billy's campaign infuses his story with love and hope. --Cheryl Krocker McKeon, manager, Book Passage, San Francisco