Thank you very much to the publishers and Netgalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I purchased a physical copy of this book myself following reading.
Beneath the New Year’s Eve fireworks, shy science-nerd Mel and slacker songwriter Sid get pregnant on their first date. Any sixteen-year-olds would expect trouble – but this is Northern Ireland 2018, where abortion is still illegal. Mel’s religious parents insist she must keep the baby, whilst Sid’s feminist mum pushes for a termination.
Mel and Sid are determined to do this together, but they soon discover that pregnancy is totally different for boys and girls. When their relationship starts to fall apart under all the pressure, Mel finds herself feeling alone with the impossible dilemma of the Little Bang growing inside her.
It isn’t often that a YA book discusses teenage pregnancy. It is even rarer for a YA book to tackle teenage pregnancy and the topic of abortion so head-on. Little Bang is an unforgettable and poignant story that I feel everyone will learn something when they read this.
Beneath the New Year’s fireworks, Mel and Sid get pregnant on their first date. Any 16-year-old would expect trouble, but this is Northern Ireland in 2018, where abortion is still illegal. Mel’s religious parents insist she must keep the baby, whilst Sid’s feminist mum pushes for a termination.
This story is told from dual POVs and it was certainly interesting to see everything happen from both Mel and Sid’s perspectives. It shows the reader how the pregnancy affects both characters but in completely different ways.
After the pregnancy announcement, although Sid drops out of school, he is still able to make new connections and advance his career. Whereas, Mel’s entire future is put on hold. Mel’s parents blame her for the pregnancy but seem to also ‘expect it’ from Sid. The misogyny and hypocrisy is seen from so many different angles and made me so angry whilst reading it.
No one seems to take into consideration what Sid and Mel want. Especially when it comes to Mel’s future. It would seem that the pregnancy is quite an inconvenience for her parents when it derails the plans they have for her. Mel’s opinion does not seem to matter one bit.
Little Bang is set against the backdrop of the Northern Irish referendum on the legality of abortion. So it makes Mel and Sid’s story even more poignant. This leads to a lot of discussion about the Irish abortion situation. It is an upsetting read but a well-needed read. I’ve got no doubt that this will educate so many readers. It is unsettling to know just how distressing things were up until very recently.
It is also scary to read about the lack of knowledge that the pair and their friends have about contraception. Particularly in a place that expects people to give birth to the children that they conceive. There are several other important discussions too such as parenthood, mental health and life plans.
Kelly McCaughrain has written such an important yet difficult topic in such an extraordinary way. Despite the fact the book covers some extremely hard-hitting and depressing topics she still manages to give the reader some hope. I’ll be reading more books by her in the future.
Overall, Little Bang is a thought-provoking and emotional book. I’m sure it will affect anyone who reads it differently. I would highly recommend giving this one a read. I’m sure I’ll be thinking about it and it’s characters for a long time.
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