Leonard and Hungry Paul: A Novel

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The writing is sharp, witty, observant, the humour is wry and I found myself giggling and smiling often. In particular, this novel is a welcome counterbalance to the usual focus of literature (one I also have a tendency to enforce in my reading) to the unpleasant. Their friendship was not just one of convenience between two quiet, solitary men with few other options, it was a pact. He’s a bit of solitary soul (to say loner wouldn’t be fair to him, as he’s not anti-social per se, he simply lacks the need for company).

You’ll laugh and feel for the two main protagonists but all the characters in this book exude some sort of charm. But when you read a book about two single men in their 30s who both have no “get up and go” (their idea of a “good night” is sitting at home playing board games and neither of them has ever left their childhood home) and then introduce other members of their families in stories that are also not very exciting, it is just not very, well, exciting. The leisurely pace flags further when it comes to the subplots, which involve even less remarkable relatives.I have a long standing interest in meditation and there’s something zen like about this, particular in the monk-like Leonard. That said, I came at this book a little late and with certain prejudices from friends who had read it as to what to expect, and the book didn't disappoint those expectations, including the negative.

Which in a world filled to the brim with noise, and with way too many extroverts, tends to go against the grain. Leonard and hungry Paul’ by Rónán Hession is the story of two thirty something bachelors, both quiet, unassuming and kind blokes. This sets the pace and tone too, meaning that as readers we are drawn into delicate, loving, thoughtful meanderings.It gave me some reservations about what the rest of the book might be like, but I didn’t get the same feeling subsequently, so perhaps I was just taking time to adjust to the author’s style. They’re awkward and often overthink what they should say, resulting in their saying nothing (or, worse, saying the wrong thing). If you're looking for a soul-soothing warm-bath reading experience that says it's okay to be quiet and to set your own values for what matters in your life, this may be it. If I were to compare Rónán writing to work produced by other contemporary authors, I would say that it reminded me of Joanna Cannon, Mark Haddon and Sara Baume's. And that was a balm to my soul because I find all the loudness of our today's reality to be overwhelming, unnecessary and ineffective.

had always seen themselves as bumpers along the blowing lane for him to bounce between, saving him from mundane dangers and guiding him towards his achievements, modest though they were. It’s this strand that comes closest to nineties lad-lit (à la Nick Hornby or Mike Gayle), with the focus on Leonard and the woman who will change his life.But I persisted, and finally I did warm - a little bit - to this gentle pair of friends, satisfied with so little. In a hurry to get back to his noise-cancelling head-phones, Leonard put away the tea caddy and finished stirring his own palpable milky loneliness. Leonard lives with his widowed mother and they are friends and companions who enjoy each other's company.