Lullabies for Little Criminals
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| Author | Heather O'Neill |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | |
| Publication date | 2006 |
| Media type | Print Paperback |
| Pages | 330 pp |
Lullabies for Little Criminals is a 2006 novel by Heather O'Neill.
The book was chosen for inclusion in the 2007 edition of Canada Reads, where it was championed by musician John K. Samson. Lullabies for Little Criminals won the competition. It was also shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for English language fiction in the 2007 Governor General's Awards.
Plot summary
The novel revolves around the thirteen-year-old protagonist named Baby and follows her for two years. Baby lives with her father Jules, who is a junkie and has an addiction to heroin which becomes more difficult for him to manage. They often move throughout Montreal and various places in Canada, where Baby and Jules meets many different people, from other junkies to bums, and from pimps to abused children.
Jules had Baby in high school with her mother, who died soon after Baby was born. It is not told in the beginning what happened to Baby's mother.
Jules often leaves young Baby by herself in wherever they may be living, for anywhere from a week to an upwards of a month. Baby often becomes distraught and finds herself wandering about Montreal by herself. She meets many different people, including a group of kids at a youth center and a pimp.
Baby is eventually taken away by Child Protective Services and put into a foster home whilst Jules goes through rehab. When Jules finally picks her up, he promises that everything will return to normal.
As Jules and Baby begin to settle down again, Jules' addiction gets the best of him and begins to lash out at Baby, often for no reason. Baby eventually runs away and finds safety a pimp named Alphonse. Alphonse develops an intimate relationship with Baby, taking her virginity, and forcing her to turn tricks. She becomes one of his "girls" and is fearful of leaving him. She attempts to return to her and Jules' apartment, but it is locked from the inside and nobody is there, so she assumes Jules have abandoned her. Alphonse also exposes her to heroin and gets her hooked on it.
Baby goes back to school while still being a prostitute and meets an odd boy named Xavier. Xavier and Baby slowly but surely become closer and begin to date. As their relationship grows, they become very intimate, and have sexual intercourse at Alphonse's hotel room, which was their only safe haven. Alphonse comes home awhile after they are done, beats Xavier, and sends him home. Alphonse then beats Baby, takes her dope, and takes the remainder of it all in one sitting. Baby finds Alphonse dead after she wakes up the next morning.
Baby leaves Alphonse's room and is left with nowhere to go. She decides to stay at the homeless shelter nearby. Upon arrival, she finds Jules. They both embrace, and Jules explains that he has set up a place to stay with his sister. They pack and walk to the local bus station. It is here that Jules explains that Baby's mother died in a car crash while Jules was driving.
They catch a bus to Jules' cousin's house, and the story ends.
External links
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