This book is heartbreaking. Lullabies for Little Criminals is Heather O'Neill's debut novel. It won Canada Reads 2007 plus a slew of other awards, rightly so.
It's the story of Baby; a young girl growing up in Montreal's Red Light District. Baby faces realities that "regular" children (even many adults) don't ever come close to experiencing. Baby's mother died when Baby was very young. Baby struggles constantly with the idea that she is motherless, questioning it frequently. Baby's father, Jules, is a young parent and heroin addict who is more nurturing high than clean. Baby's lack of good guidance is apparent throughout the story especially when Baby's personal reflections intermingle childhood curiosities with adult analogies. Living sometimes together and sometimes apart, Jules and Baby's living situation changes many many times throughout the book, which seems to span the length of roughly 2 years. From foster homes, to dingy hotels, to homeless shelters, to rehabs; there is never a place called "home". This is proof of the instability in Baby's life. Baby is constantly left to her own devices, most often during times when support and strong role models are most essential to her well being. She makes many poor choices mostly due to her lack of (good) guidance. Throughout the story, Baby meets many characters who never become fixtures in her life; kids in a foster home, street kids at a community centre, homeless people, prostitutes, school friends, drug addicts, social workers, etc. The only two characters who play a constant role in Baby's life are Jules (her father) and Alphonse ** SPOILER ALERT** (her adult lover and eventual pimp). This seems to cause a lot of tension for Baby considering how different both characters are in regards to the roles that they play in Baby's life.
The book's ending is somewhat hopeful, although you don't truly feel like Baby will ever recover from what she has been through. You don't feel like you, the reader, will recover either. Baby is a representation of all kids in these circumstances, which I am afraid to say is probably more common than we are willing to admit.
This book is not for the faint of heart. It is graphic, disturbing (especially the detailed descriptions of the physical and sexual abuse of kids), and at times can be uncomfortable to read. Based on my very limited knowledge of street life, it feels like it may also be frighteningly realistic. This book is a mix of the everyday realities of puberty and the world of drugs, prostitution, abuse, and street life for any kid in these. This is a suggested read for anyone stuck in the bubble like me; sheltered by a life where a support network of great friends and family is a given. This book makes you want to reach out and take care of Baby, and never let her go.
Book Information
Title: Lullabies For Little Criminals
Author: Heather O'neill
Year of publication: 2006
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 352
Awards: Canada Reads 2007
Purchased at: Can't remember
Rating: 4.5 / 5
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