Gods Don’t Cry by Ellen Ryan: Layers of Strength.

Gods Don’t Cry by Ellen Ryan. Illustrated by Conor Merriman.  

A review by Kate O’Brien 

I described Ellen’s first book Girls Who Slay Monsters as a collection of passionate stories, passionately told. The bar was set extremely high, Gods Don’t Cry is the perfect book to come next. 

I said that Girls Who Slay Monsters would inspire all readers, but I thought it would particularly inspire and even comfort young girls. I’d have loved to read a book like this when I was thirteen. 

Gods Don’t Cry is an ideal counterpart, as this collection of tales about Irish Gods showcases how there are many different, many amazing ways to be masculine. Just like there are many different ways to describe girlhood, manhood is just as complex. Gods Don’t Cry highlights how boys can be strong in different ways. There is more than just one way to be brave. 

Gods Don’t Cry is a collection of heroic tales, written in Ryan’s evocative, almost lyrical style. 

She expertly weaves old and new, illustrating how old tales can still be impactful to today’s readers. 

Each story is short and easy to follow, and brought utterly to life by Merriman’s striking illustrations. Merriman uses such rich colours, burning reds, and bare trees, expertly mixing light and dark in a way that catches the eye so brilliantly. There are pages that I’d love to frame as a painting because they’re so striking. 

While I personally believe that all books are for all readers, I do hope that young boys pick up Gods Don’t Cry and I hope that they enjoy it. Just as it is crucial for young girls, it is so important that young boys understand that they can be whatever they want to be. They can be sporty and they can love reading, and they can enjoy games, and they can love school, and while these sound like trivial examples, sometimes adolescents are made to feel insecure about the smallest things. 

Strength has layers, bravery has layers, compassion has layers, and there are many ways to be heroic. Ellen Ryan captures the multidimensions of our emotions so fantastically. 

It is always a pleasure to read her work. 

If you haven’t read Gods Don’t Cry yet, I can’t recommend it enough. 

Happy New Year everyone. 

There is so much to come on Katelovesliterature.com so stay tuned!