It is clear from the first lines of this book that Christy Brown read and admired the works of Charles Dickens. From line to line his writing shifts from a formal, structured style with sophisticated vocabulary to a more relaxed use of a spoken-word style that shows his working-class origins. These shifts are not jarring, but rather, they make clear how much time there must be for selfanalysis when a writer can speak or write only with great concentration.

The result is a book which is accessible for young people in their teens, as Brown was when he began to write. Though the actions and motivations of the characters are straightforward, the tone of the writing varies so that the reader must pay more than casual attention to the story being told.