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Gypsy Davey By Chris Lynch Gypsy Davey is Chris Lynch's highly acclaimed novel about one boy's ultimately triumphant coming of age in the face of loneliness and terrible neglect from his family. The discussion topics, suggested reading list, and author biography in this reading group guide are intended to spark discussion about the issues raised in this disturbing and compelling book. By age twelve, Davey has had his share of problems. For his entire existence he has lived with a mother who loves him, but refuses to learn how to be a parent to him; a charismatic but reckless father who can't seem to commit to his family; and a sister who had to become his real mother when she was seven years old. Alternately adored and abused by his older sister, Davey grows up with the passionate conviction that somehow his life should be better than it is. And when Joanne, now a seventeen year old mother herself, seems destined to repeat the mistakes of their mother with her newborn son, Davey is determined to do everything he can to spare his nephew from the harsh, desperate, and lonely childhood he himself has had. Told in Davey's own voice alternating with revealing family vignettes, Lynch's narrative is piercing, enraging and ultimately uplifting--a beautifully written tour de force about coming to terms with this cycle and trying to rise above it. Read more about Gypsy Davey
"There is nothing conventional about Lynch's third and best novel. This tight, taut novel bounces back between slow-witted Davey's thoughts and his
family's sad history. Oddly refreshing."
-The Washington Post
"Meticulously crafted. Its prose evocative and
lyrical." -Publishers Weekly
"Penetrating." -Kirkus Reviews "The characters are finely drawn. The depiction of Davey's surroundings is harsh and hauntingly realistic; loneliness and frustration seem, at first glance, the onlythings people can count on. It's Davey's surprising, artless ability to rise above it all and keep on going that proves first impressions wrong." -ALA Booklist 1. At the close of the novel, Davey says that he's going to "find somebody who's gonna love me and we're gonna have some babies and I'm gonna love 'em like hell to pieces like nobody ever loved babies before" (p. 179). Do you think that Davey has the potential to break the pattern of abuse in his family, and will treat a child differently than Lois and Joanne have? From whom does Davey learn to be so caring and loving? What evidence do we have that Davey is, in fact, a competent care-giver? Would Davey be a good father? 2. Davey has several means of temporary escape from his problems. He explains that his bike changes him "more than anything" and allows him to be "the kind of me the one I like better" (p. 30). Television also becomes an escape vehicle for Davey. Do these distractions allow Jo and Lois to escape from their responsibilities? Is escape good? 3. How and when do Jo and Lois express their love for Davey? What do other characters in the novel think of Davey? What kind of impression does Davey give? 4. Lester, the streetwise drug dealer, becomes someone Davey can count on, "the person who never really chased [Davey] off" (p. 94). What is the nature of Davey's relationship to Lester--the character who nicknames him Gypsy Davey? Why is it difficult for Davey to leave the street corner, even though he is scared, when he learns that Lester will not be returning (p. 146)? You may wish to continue this discussion by looking at the relationships that Joanne and Davey have with other characters, including the members of Joanne's gang, even the shoemaker Vadala. 5. Why is it appropriate that Davey is the photographer at Joanne's wedding? What is the significance of Davey's watching the wedding through a camera lens? What do you make of Joanne's and Lois's numerous requests to have their picture taken? 6. Readers of the novel know that Davey is a loner. But is he the loneliest character in the story? 7. In Gypsy Davey, Chris Lynch weaves chapters of Davey's insights, told in a stream-of-consciousness-style first person, into a third person narrative of the history of Davey's family. Why do you think Lynch chooses a nontraditional structure for the novel? How do Davey's narrations add to the story? 8. Throughout the novel, abusive occurrences (like the scene at the roast beef restaurant in the "Big Now" chapter, and the scene in which Lois takes Davey to the bar) are narrated in the same tone as the sporadic signs of a more traditional, caring parenthood (the pancake breakfast, the wedding). Is abuse somehow intertwined with love for Davey? 9. How does Jo's method of raising her baby differ from Lois's? How does Jo's treatment of her baby differ from her treatment of Davey? Do these two characters treat Davey in the same way? How do the characters of Jo and Lois allow Lynch to comment on the issues of abuse and neglect? 10. Discuss the significance of the Davey's nickname, the book's title. Is Davey a gypsy? Does the significance of the nickname change as the novel progresses? Chris Lynch was a featured author in Publishers Weekly's "Flying Starts" for his first novel, Shadow Boxer. His other novels--including Iceman, Slot Machine, and the Blue-Eyed Son series--have all garnered critical acclaim and received numerous prestigious awards.
Also by Chris Lynch, available from HarperCollins:
The Buffalo Tree
Beauty Queen
Dangerous Angels
Leaving Home
Parrot in the Oven:
mi vida
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