But as the narrator begins to piece together a clearer picture of the past through conversations with her father, Billy's cousin and closest friend, she comes to recognize that the story of Billy-and, by extension, of her father-is far more complex and nuanced than she had ever imagined. His friends are aware that as a young ex-GI Billy had fallen in love with and become engaged to Eva, a lovely Irish girl who returned to Ireland and died before she could come back to America to join him therefore they see his drinking as a perverse way of being faithful to her memory. A self-destructive alcoholic who drank himself into a premature grave, Billy caused much grief to his friends and his gentle, devoted wife, Maeve yet everyone loved him for his charming and affectionate nature. The family and friends assembled at Billy's funeral remember him with fond exasperation. This powerful novel by the acclaimed author of At Weddings and Wakes presents a moving and wryly ironic portrait of Billy Lynch, a charming but enigmatic man, and his extended Irish-American family during the years between World War II and the 1990s. This guide is intended to enrich your experience of reading Alice McDermott's Charming Billy.
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