‘If I die, ‘ Egan Welch wrote in a note to his father, ‘it is not alcohol that killed me. It’s something else.’ The book’s sub-title is Life, Alcohol and Death.
Killing the Black Mamba is the title of this unforgettable many-layered story of the death of a son. It is a vivid, haunting personal tragedy, but Welch explores its roots in generations of Irish lives scarred by shame and disgrace.
The author reflects on the lawless energies that may be unleashed now that the constraining institutions and rituals of church and magic have lost their hold on people’s minds.
A great book dealing with very sensitive subjects.