The book is most noted for its stream of conciouness style that sets out to write exactly what the protagonist is thinking. Since the work covers the author aging from a boy to a man the style of the work is very different in each of its five sections, with the complexity and vocabulary gradually increasing.
The book is set in Joyce's native Ireland, especailly in Dublin. It deals with many Irish issues such as the quest for autonomy and the role of the Catholic church.