First novel tackles complex themes with sense of wonder

If I Fall, If I Die. By Michael Christie. William Heinemann, trade paperback, €16. Reviewed by Fiona Ness.

Michael Christie writes powerfully about the economic deprivation in his home town of Thunder Bay. Picture: Getty

We’re born in a prison, raised in a prison, and die in a prison, opined Japanese artist Yoko Ono. Michael Christie’s 11-year-old character Will might agree with the first two prophecies, ...