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Lullabies for Little Criminals: A Novel
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Lullabies for Little Criminals: A Novel
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Lullabies for Little Criminals: A Novel
Ebook373 pages6 hours

Lullabies for Little Criminals: A Novel

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this ebook

Heather O’Neill’s critically acclaimed debut novel, with a new introduction from the author to celebrate its ten-year anniversary

Baby, all of thirteen years old, is lost in the gangly, coltish moment between childhood and the strange pulls and temptations of the adult world. Her mother is dead; her father, Jules, is scarcely more than a child himself and is always on the lookout for his next score. Baby knows that “chocolate milk” is Jules’ slang for heroin and sees a lot more of that in her house than the real thing. But she takes vivid delight in the scrappy bits of happiness and beauty that find their way to her, and moves through the threat of the streets as if she’s been choreographed in a dance.

Soon, though, a hazard emerges that is bigger than even her hard-won survival skills can handle. Alphonse, the local pimp, has his eye on her for his new girl—and what the johns don’t take he covets for himself. If Baby cannot learn to become her own salvation, his dark world threatens to claim her, body and soul.

Channeling the artlessly affecting voice of her thirteen-year-old heroine with extraordinary accuracy and power, Heather O’Neill’s debut novel blew readers away when it was first published ten years ago. Now it’s sure to capture its next decade of readers as Baby picks her pathway along the edge of the abyss to arrive at a place of redemption, and of love.

Featuring a new introduction from the author

CBC Canada reads winner, Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction winner, Orange Prize for Fiction finalist, Governor General’s Literary Award finalist, International Impac Dublin Literary Award finalist

Praise for Lullabies for Little Criminals

“A vivid portrait of life on skid row.”—People

“A nuanced, endearing coming-of-age novel you won’t want to miss.”—Quill And Quire

“Vivid and poignant. . . . A deeply moving and troubling novel.”—The Independent (London)

“O’Neill is a tragicomedienne par excellence. . . . You will not want to miss this tender depiction of some very mean streets.”—Montreal Review of Books

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateOct 13, 2009
ISBN9780061856907
Author

Heather O'Neill

HEATHER O’NEILL is a novelist, short-story writer and essayist. Her most recent novel, When We Lost Our Heads, was a #1 national bestseller and a finalist for the Grand Prix du Livre de Montréal. Her previous works include The Lonely Hearts Hotel, which won the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and CBC’s Canada Reads, as well as Lullabies for Little Criminals, The Girl Who Was Saturday Night and Daydreams of Angels, which were shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction, the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Scotiabank Giller Prize two years in a row. O’Neill has also won CBC’s Canada Reads and the Danuta Gleed Award. Born and raised in Montreal, she lives there today.

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Rating: 3.952952113653136 out of 5 stars
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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A CBC "Canada Reads" selection, this tale of a young girl being raised by her drug-addicted father and living by her wits in East-end Montreal is a scary, heartbreaking, beautiful read. A times funny, at times frightening, at times uplifting, sometimes so sad, this book is never boring! I was casting the movie as I read the book!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Baby is 11-13 years old during the events in the book, and her dad, Jules, has raised her since her mom died when she was 16 (both her parents were 15 when Baby was born). Although Jules does seem to love Baby, and they have fun together, he does a lot of drugs, so there are times when Baby is moved into foster care. She's a smart girl and she tries to be good, but as she gets older, she manages to get into more and more scrapes, including befriending a local pimp.This was really good. It's sad (but easy) to see how a good kid could get into trouble, with a neglectful parent who is more concerned about himself and getting high. You could see Baby trying to be good, and wanting to do normal "kid" stuff, but at the same time, she's pulled into an adult world. Very good book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Lullabies for Little Criminals is a hard-hitting story about Baby, a 12 year old girl being brought up by her young father who is in poor health, is fairly uneducated and is a drug addict. Despite his best intentions and a love of sorts for the child, his immaturity, ignorance and lack of opportunities make him wholly unfit for the job of parenting and for providing for a family.Although she is a child with great intellect and potential, we witness firsthand the spiralling, destructive impact that Baby's broken home environment has on her young life. It is an all too real story of the repercussions of neglect and abject poverty.Whilst there are numerous fictional novels set in a similar environment, O'Neill achieves something special in this novel. Told in the first person by Baby, we experience the story both through Baby's eyes and through our own eyes as an adult reader. As a reader we see the smaller forks in the road and the inevitable bigger picture road to ruin that they lead to, yet in parallel we experience what it is like to be inside the head of that 12 year old, and why those decisions seem like the right ones at the time. Heather O'Neill does an amazing job of authenticating that juvenile thought process. She was brought up in a similarly impoverished neighbourhood, and manages to develop this insight to the next level, so accurately understanding the emotional needs and reactions of that age. After reading it I honestly feel like I understand the true cycle of poverty so much better. Despite his total failure as a father, we could understand Baby's dad at times - he undoubtedly loved her, but he had neither the intelligence nor opportunity to pull himself out of that environment. He had no role models, he was emotionally unequipped for the task, he had little resources with which to pull himself out of poverty with, he was mentally unstable from drug addiction, and he knew of no other way of living so felt there was nothing better to strive for.Baby craves all that he cannot give her - stability, consistency, safety, physical affection, boundaries and encouragement. We see through her eyes how children will look for emotional support and connection wherever they can find it. Let down by a proper system of adult support, there is unfortunately no shortage of lowlifes to prey on their vulnerability, and in small steps they stray from the path into the undergrowth.The psychology of this book will stay with me for quite some time - it's not often that I feel like I'm thinking through the head of the main character to such an extent.5 stars - sad, raw and impacting.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    So, so beautifully written, but I still found it a bit aimless. I annoyed so many people by saying this that I will give up saying any more....
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    There is a lot of dark and ugly raw material in this book about a young girl from a hopelessly dysfunctional single parent family. She sees her sordid world as the norm, with sadness and loneliness her primary emotions. Author Heather O'Neill very adeptly gets into the delinquent mindset. It's a sad story, but there is hope. Worth the read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    a humorous yet tragic story about growing up in a tough situation. I found it hard to read at times as the "realness" of it was sometimes overwhelming. The characters sprout to life right from the beginning and you might find yourself cheering them on. Recommended but only when you're in the mood for something heavy.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    My husband must have thought I was crazy while I was reading this book, as I had tears running down my face one moment and I would burst out laughing the next. The young girl in the story, Baby, did not have a good life but for her it was just the way it was. I have read some articles that Heather O'Neill has written for Chatelaine and I can understand where her inspiration for the story came from.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Imagine if Scout Finch was a poor, neglected and abused twelve year old living in Montreal, and Atticus was a drug addict - no, I can't either. But that's probably the best way to describe Heather O'Neill's novel, which was a literary slap in the face for me. Baby is a witty, intelligent yet heartbreakingly fragile narrator, so open and engaging that her suffering is all the more painful to read. Yes, I know she and her father are fictional, but the all too real likelihood of kids living lives like hers made me so mad - seems any fool can have children, yet prospective adoptive parents have to jump through legal hoops when applying for the same right.'Love is a big and wonderful idea, but life is made up of small things. As a kid, you have nothing to do with the way the world is run; you just have to hurry to catch up with it.'I also really loved the language of this book, which - like Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird - is both innocent and worldly at the same time. Baby's metaphors are both visually powerful and appropriate, like sky that 'had the feeling of cold, wet underwear on a clothesline', a cough that sounds like 'an umbrella being torn apart by the wind', and 'a voice like someone reading handwritten Valentine cards'. She drew me into her life, and, as I say, I was shocked by her almost inevitable corruption - I wanted to shout, 'She's only twelve, for god's sake!' The ending is hopeful but not improbable, which satisfied me - I'm glad that the author treated Baby's abuse as part of the character and not merely a device to build drama and sympathy. An incredible yet disturbing book, cleverly written.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Quite disturbing and a difficult topic but well-handled and well-written by the author. The ending was a bit too convenient but otherwise a very good book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Written in the voice of a child, this book is about the highs and lows of being cared for by her young heroin addict father. The book sets a new standard in writing about childhood trauma. It perfectly captures the confused, non-judgemental thought process of a young girl as she grows up in a community of drug-pushers, bums, pimps and other inadequates. Inexorably, Baby mutates from an innocent, vulnerable child into a whore and heroin user as she develops her own methods to answer her need to feel nurtured. The strength of the narrative is that from the beginning to end, it is told with a child's perspective. I wanted to crawl into the book and comfort her myself. Heather O'Neil is an outstanding talent. Some of the writing was so poignant, I found myself writing out passages to remember. Even the title makes me want to weep!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This novel was engrossing. O'Neill is a master of conveying the world through the eyes of children.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Couldn't pass on a story about a 12 yr. old growing up too quickly on the streets of Montreal. O'Neill lets the reader into the imagination and rationalizations behind the lamentable choices and actions of a street kid.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What an incredible book! It is not an easy read, but I highly recommend it.O'Neill takes us to the deep, dark underbelly of the Montreal Canada streets where 12 year old "baby" scrapes by on a day to day existence with her heroin addicted, crazy, neglectful and unstable father.While the subject matter is sad, overall I came away undisturbed, but simply in awe and admiration for the street wise, spunky character who learned way too much way too fast.The saddest part was the realization that no matter how much abuse occurred, baby still craved the love and affection of her father.a quote from page 59 of the book:"If you want to get a child to love you, then you should just go and hide in the closet for three or four hours. They get down on their knees and pray for you to return. That child will turn into God. Lonely children probably wrote the Bible."I give the book a five star rating!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The beautiful prose and vivid metaphors are the highlights of this tale of innocence lost. The heartbreaking story is balanced by the main character's resilience and ability to find small glimmers of happiness even in the darkest circumstances.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I really wanted to like this book, but couldn't. I just found it too sad, despite the funny and light style it was written in.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book was really really good. It was the kind of book that I wanted to read as much as possible. Baby is a 12/13 year old who has a father who is a heroin addict and is only 15 years her senior. She spends a lot of time in the streets and eventually gets involved with the wrong kind of people. This book was powerful especially since it centered around an innocent child who is exposed to the evils of the world. This book reminded me of the Glass Castle, but a lot more harsh. A great read!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this book. I have a soft spot for this type of funny and irreverant coming of age story and I enjoyed the narrative voice of Baby, an eleven to thirteen year old street child. Not recommended for the easily offended as the book's protagonist becomes a street prostitute, drug user, and general delinquent through much of the story. Nonetheless, the book is neither depressing nor overly moralizing -- it manages to strike an emotional tone that feels authentic.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This novel tracks the life of twelve-year-old Baby, who lives with her addict father in a series of Montreal rooms. While her father, Jules, struggles with drug addiction, Baby raises herself, moving from home to foster care, to juvenile detention. Baby is changing from a child to a young adult--although the novel only spans about a year, the change is more in the worsening conditions of her life and her own loss of innocence. This story is intense, and the plot is full of difficult and revealing moments for the characters. However, the plot was what I found most compelling in the novel, as opposed to the writing, which could have used a strong editorial hand. Writing through a child's point of view is difficult, to be sure; but Baby's voice wanders, from naive to reflective to poetic, and it doesn't read consistently. The poetics of O'Neill's narrative are nicely written, but distracting and seemingly out of character. And while increasingly upsetting things happen to Baby, it doesn't build to a more powerful whole; instead, the novel reads like a series of street vignettes with "just in time" context written around them. Similar in scope to Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson, which is a novel amazing in its accomplishments, not the least of which was Johnson's ability to create a believably naive protagonist in the face of his squalid life.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did- it was one of those books that made you feel that you died a little inside after it was done. It is raw and chafing and lyrical.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is an interesting portrayal of life on the streets of Montreal. The narrator is 12-year-old Baby, whose mother is deceased and whose father is a drug addict. Baby's voice rings with realism and the author maintains Baby's perspective in a strong and convincing manner throughout the novel. This is due, I'm sure, to her own life which, while not as dramatic as Baby's, contains several similar experiences.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Beautiful and disturbing in equal measure.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Baby is an unconventional name for an unconventional girl. Baby lost her mother when she was young, so young that she has no memories of the woman who gave birth to her. All she has is a drug addicted, emotionally unstable, and nomadic father who moves her from one insect infested, tattered walled apartment to the next. Baby's life puts the term poverty to shame as she oscillates between a little girl who craves the love and affection of her absent father, to the young and rebellious teen that one day finds herself with not only a pimp as a boyfriend, but the delusional glamour of being a prostitute. I thought I would be shocked, outraged, or at least indignant at what life doled out for Baby and yet somehow the dysfunctionality that is her normal, somehow seemed normal. It's the idea that if you don't know better, you wouldn't expect or demand better. The world that Baby exists is the only world she knows and like an endangered species, she carves out a niche of her very own. It is by no mean a childhood transition into adulthood that one would desire, but in its own shattered emptiness, there was a faint gleam of redemption. Lullabies for Criminals was not what I expected, but it worked, and the chord it struck can still be heard echoing within me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A child's mind is like a bird trapped in an attic, looking for any crack of light to fly out of. Children are given vivid imaginations as defense mechanisms, as they usually don't have much means for escape.Shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2008, O'Neill's debut novel takes the reader into the world of 12-year old Baby. No, that is not a pseudonym. As Baby will tell you, that is the name on her birth certificate. The product of a teenage pregnancy, Baby lives with her young father Jules, who has been raising Baby on his own since her mother's death shortly after Baby was born. We learn right upfront that their relationship is more brother and sister than father and daughter in nature and that their life is somewhat transient - moving from apartment to apartment, resident hotel to resident hotel. Baby's world in Montreal is connected to the world of prostitutes, drug dealers, addicts and pimps, a neighborhood of strip joints and hot dog shops. No white picket fences, chintz curtains and frilly dresses with bows here. With trips into foster care and the custody of a neighbor when Jules is hospitalized and then does a stint in rehab, Baby's life is anything but stable and secure. O'Neill does an amazing job bringing to life the world of a troubled adolescent. Baby's life is such a hard one with an unpredictable and at time abusive father, being misunderstood by the system - who the heck places an honor's student into remedial schooling?!?! - and a victim of the vultures that lurk in society and prey on the young and the weak that was heartbreaking to read. O'Neill manages to balance this depressing story of abuse, abandonment, addiction and child prostitution with humor, optimism, naivety and wisdom and in the process produced a novel that is beautifully written and really speaks to the plight of children in need. As Baby says, "Childhood is the most valuable thing that's taken away from you in life, if you think about it."
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a beautiful and believable book, written from the perspective of a 12 year old living in poverty. My ability to enjoy the book was multiplied in being able to read more about the author's life and learn that she was not simply romanticizing or co-opting the experience of life in poverty, but that she had in fact grown up within the same world her main character did. The written perspectives of a 12 year old girl were extremely believable, and the writing flowed in that stream-of-consciousness, un-self-conscious way I remember thinking as a 12 year old. It's a difficult time for anyone of that age in this culture, though the difficulties are more perilous for girls living in poverty. This book deftly and beautifully makes that point.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I picked up Lullabies for Little Criminals because it's on the reading list of a class on Montreal authors that I'm hoping to take at Concordia University. In the story, Baby is a bright, intelligent twelve-year-old who is motherless and lives her heroin-addicted father in a rough area in downtown Montreal. She's surrounded by poverty, violence, drugs, prostitution but with her childlike wonder she's still able to see beauty in her squalid surroundings.I was struck by the sordidness of story's setting. I've lived in Montreal close to two years now so I'm familiar with the area where the story takes place but it was hard to picture a child growing up in those surroundings. A very naïve attitude on my part because children are often forced to live in horrible conditions all over the world. The "lucky" ones like Baby manage to salvage part of their childhood and keep a measure of hope for their future despite the obstacles in their way.The reversal of the parent-child roles is also very present in the story. In many instances, it's Baby who seems to have the role of caretaker in the relationship with her father Jules. Jules is impulsive, immature and selfish. He cares for Baby but he's unable to offer the stability she needs. Later in the story when Jules's abuse and inattention pushes Baby into the arms of the pimp Alphonse, I felt her complete vulnerability and helplessness at her inability to control her circumstances.Lullabies for Little Criminals is wonderful but heartbreaking. I felt the book got harder and harder to read but the effort was definitely worth it. It's a harsh story but it's not without beauty and hope.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Unlike any book I've read. Tough to read, painstakingly beautiful story about a young girl with a crack addict father on and off the streets of Montreal. I never wanted it to end.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    2006, audiobookComments: I picked this audiobook without knowing anything at all about it, so it was all a surprise to me. Now, a few days later, I have no doubt that this tragicomic book will make my top 5 list for 2011. I listened to this audiobook, and then right out and bought a paper copy. I have ordered copies for a couple of people in my family who I think will also really like it. It’s that good.The narrator of Lullabies for Little Criminals seems to be an adult retelling the events following her twelfth birthday. Her fifteen year old parents labeled her with the unfortunate name of Baby, which was meant to be ironic and she was told that it meant she was “cool and gorgeous.” Her mom died while she was a baby, and she had been raised by her childlike, dysfunctional heroin addicted father, Jules in a series of seedy hotels in Montreal. For the first part of the book, I found Baby’s voice utterly charming and rather funny. However, as the story progressed and Baby’s life spiralled out of control, I realized that this book was significantly more serious than I had originally expected. Baby’s voice, however, remained constant throughout—poetic, keenly observant, beautifully sad and vivid, both wry and winsome at the same time. Baby is smitten with low-lifes and bohemians, and this book is full of them—guidance from healthy adults is sorely missing.O’Neill is shrewdly accurate in capturing the dialogue of this culture. The reader of this audiobook, Miriam McDonald, captured the tone perfectly. The author gives us a view of the gritty side of Montreal seen through the eyes of a twelve-year old, full of her innocence and imagination. Beyond that, the writing was a delight to both hear and read. I just didn’t want this book to end, which is unusual for me. Unfortunately for us, thus far Lullabies is O’Neill’s only novel.While I widely recommend this book, it isn’t for every reader, despite winning the CBC Canada Reads competition in 2007. Readers who are highly sensitive to swearing will quickly be turned off. The bad language, however, is not gratuitous, but an accurate portrayal of the language of her world. Further, the book dives deep into the nasty side of life, including drug addictions and child prostitution. But unless you’re extremely squeamish about these topics, I urge you to give this book a try.Lullabies for Little Criminals was nominated for the Orange Prize, Governor General's Award, IMPAC Dublin Literary award, and a whole slew of other prizes.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Baby, 12 when the book begins, is being raised by her heroin addicted young father, Jules. Her teenage mother died in a car wreck soon after Baby's birth. Jules and Baby live on the skids in Montreal, eventually landing in the lowest place possible, the red light district. Baby is a tough, smart little girl. Still, by 13 she is experiencing drugs, sex and prostitution, her adult "boyfriend" her pimp. She loves Jules and longs for him to become the parent she needs. Jules loves Baby too and comes out of his fog long enough to understand she needs a savior and he has to find a way to become one. This is a riveting book. The author apparently lived Baby's life and has chosen to write about her childhood in fiction rather than nonfiction. She does so brilliantly.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Reading this book really opens your eyes because it shows a lifestyle that many of us have never experienced, and would never dream of experiencing. It follows the story of a twelve year old girl named Baby as she struggles to navigate life, stuck between the realms of childhood and adulthood. She has grown up in a broken home with a heroin addict for a father who takes better care of his addictions than he does her. A figure of authority is absent from her life because her mother is dead, and her father is still rather immature himself. Her life lacks consistency as she regularly moves between different apartments, foster homes, and eventually juvenile detention. Throughout her journey though, there is one constant: her search for love. Along the way, she hits a few speed bumps, and has to make some difficult decisions. Some of them lead to things like alcohol, drugs, and prostitution. Eventually though, she gets to where she needs to be, and her journey is complete.Although she makes plenty of bad choices, the reader doesn't resent her for them because of her spirit. She keeps a good attitude and her sense of humour is always present. Because of her upbringing, it is harder for her to make good decisions, and the reasoning and influences behind her decisions are what cause the reader to develop empathy for her.At one point in the novel, Baby says “From the way that people have always talked about your heart being broken, it sort of seemed to be a one-time thing. Mine seemed to break all the time.” I found this line to be very heart-wrenching, and I instantly felt sorry for her. I could never imagine living a life where being let down is a reoccurring theme, yet at twelve, this is her reality.Overall, I felt this was a valuable book to read. It exposes you to a different type of lifestyle and makes you more aware of the issues people face in their daily lives. It teaches you to be grateful for what you have, and to see others beyond their stereotypes. Most importantly, it shows us there is good in every situation, even if it takes a while to find it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Baby lives with her father, Jules, a heroin addict. She doesn't remember her mother:He and my mother had both been fifteen when I was born. She had died a year later, so he'd been left to raise me all by himself. It didn't make him any more mature than any other twenty-six-year-old, though. He practically fell on the floor and died when a song he liked came on the radio. He was always telling people that he was color-blind because he thought it made him sound original. He also didn't look too much like a parent ... I thought of him as my best friend, as if we were almost the same age. (p. 4)Jules tries to make a living and support his habit by peddling merchandise at flea markets. To stay one step ahead of their landlord they seem to always be on the move. Baby knows how to fit her entire life into a small suitcase. Despite all these disadvantages, Baby is smart and does well in school. She seems determined to overcome the odds, but her world is turned upside down when Jules goes into rehab, and Baby into the foster care system. Over the next year, Baby moves in and out of care, is placed into a remedial program at school, and gets sucked into the unhealthy lifestyle on the streets of Montreal.Baby narrates her story with an authentic twelve-year-old's voice, and really got on my nerves for the first half of the book. But as her personal hardships intensified, so did my sympathy, and I found myself pulling for her. She was often left on her own for days at a time, and had to grow up far too quickly. I understood why she did what she did, but wished I could influence her choices (I'm avoiding spoilers here).Such a realistic and gritty story should have been "unputdownable." It thought it was an interesting and unique book, but had no problem setting it aside. It may have just been my mood this past week; I still recommend reading this Orange Prize nominee.