The Boy from Marlboro Street

The life of an Irish-American family in New York City during the 1970s through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy in the debut novel of actor and director Edward Burns.

If you compose a poem about Jesus, you might get «A with a plus», and even more fantastical — win a poetry contest, the trophy of which will be bigger than sports awards. Thanks to this, you will receive an old typewriter from your father and a stack of books from your mother, as your parents already envision you as a writer.

And the twelve-year-old boy from Marlboro Street starts to write brilliantly, with maturity, and sometimes naively, about his life and family. How should you behave at Grandpa MacSweeney’s wake? Can you help your mom, who is trapped in her sorrow? Where does Dad escape in his thoughts? Why has older brother Tommy become so uncontrollable and intolerant of rules?
He observes everything, still not understanding how this Irish-American world defines who he is and who he will become. Meanwhile, the past and present strangely intertwine in family stories about the vibrant experiences of the older generation in the Bronx and Hell's Kitchen and about the quiet life in Gibson, a town on Long Island.

«The Boy from Marlboro Street» is a touching, sometimes funny, and sometimes sad coming-of-age novel, a colorful Irish-American tale that is loud and joyful.