The novel is written in transparent, unshowy prose. Not linear, the narrative maintains its focus on Claire and despite several time-shifts never confuses. The main themes are handled with insight and real depth, and the depiction of the peculiarities of east Galway society is ethnographically interesting and convincing. An ambitious, thoughtful, nicely layered book.
By the end of Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way, the novel has become a story about what a family should do with its past. It’s a hugely satisfying, sophisticated structure, and the apparent thinness of Claire and Tom’s story ceases to matter, because it’s only the first layer of a more complex work ... Aspects of the novel are less successful ... This can make the characters sound a bit thick, which they manifestly aren’t. However, the novel’s baggy, complex, unfolding structure offers rich rewards.
The problem with Let Me Go Mad is that we see it through Claire’s eyes — a woman unfortunately afflicted by having very boring ideas about the world ... Characters tend toward stereotype ... The sense, then, is that Let Me Go Mad is a half-finished book ... It is a shame — behind Claire lurks a very good novel.
