Alcohol plays a big role in this story; do you think this is symbolic?

Throughout the book, there are many references to alcohol involving both adults and children. Interestingly, the only person who was shown as a drunk was Brid's father. Do you think this is a symbolic feature of the story?

I did not feel that alcohol played a major role in this novel. I also did not find it unusual that Da as he was called was an alcoholic.

I didn't feel that alcohol played a huge role in the book, but did find it typical of how I have read of other Irish men, many of them did struggle with alcoholism .

I didn't find alcohol to play a huge role in the book, and I found the portrayal of Da as an alcoholic to be the one stereotype among the characters. The role of alcohol for some of the others was that it led them to make mistakes that had major consequences. In one case (Riley), it seemed drugs might be the problem, not alcohol, perhaps reflective of his generation.