LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL

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Leonard and Hungry Paul are two friends in their thirties. Leonard lives alone these days, his mother having passed away recently. His work involves writing children's encyclopedias, which he enjoys, but doesn't seem to get a lot of credit for. Hungry Paul lives with his parents, who are retired, and occasionally fills in as a postman. Leonard visits his pal's house to play board games and the whole family often join in. Their discussion these days mostly revolves around the upcoming wedding of Grace, Hungry Paul's sister. But Leonard has other stuff on his mind too. For one thing, he has made the acquaintance of Shelley, a girl at work, and this has set all kinds of thoughts in motion. It might even prove a solution to his growing loneliness. And Hungry Paul has entered a competition to come up with a new sign-off phrase for the local Chamber of Commerce. These might seem like small events for most people, but for the two friends, they are significant, and this sets in motion a momentous few weeks in their otherwise quiet lives.

I have had a library card all my life. The idea that my wallet contains a small rectangle of plastic that guarantees me a lifetime’s supply of free books from anywhere in the world is almost gameshow-like in its ostentation. And yet, these simple cards are available as a signal of encouragement to anyone who needs it; a statement – an understatement perhaps – that that there will always be a place reserved in the world for the imagination.” Get involved

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All of this is set against the leadup to the wedding of Grace (Hungry Paul's sister). She worries that one day her beloved brother will become her responsibility, as he's really never had to be completely independent before. Existing from one year to the next, unconcerned by the flow of time. Leonard was raised by his mother alone with cheerfully concealed difficulty, his father having died tragically during childbirth. The synopsis of this book wasn’t one that set my heart fluttering when it was chosen for our next book club read. The only thing that intrigued me about Leonard and Hungry Paul was actually the title. Why was Paul ‘hungry” and for what?

Bluemoose Books is an independent publisher based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, and describes itself as a “‘family’ of readers and writers, passionate about the written word and stories, [who] delight in finding great new talent.” Admirably in 2020 they have committed to a woman-only list for 2020. And when his friend, Hungry Paul, who lives mainly in his own head, mutters that his life seems to be getting smaller, Leonard knows exactly how he feels.As Mumblin’ Deaf Ro, he has released three albums of storytelling songs. His third album Dictionary Crimes was chosen as Irish Independent album of the year and was nominated for the Choice Music Prize for Irish album of the year. It's impossible to describe this book without using "gentle" and "charming" a lot. Leonard and hungry Paul are two slightly weird besties; Leonard eventually gets a girlfriend and Hungry Paul finds a job, while Paul's sister gets married. That is about it. Nothing terrible happens. Nothing dramatic happens. It's a very quiet, kind, gentle depiction of moderately flawed, basically kind people gently living together and managing to get along.

Rónán Hession’s first novel, 2019’s Leonard and Hungry Paul, won the word-of-mouth success that small publishers dream of, and it hasn’t stopped rolling yet: shortlisted for half a dozen prizes, it recently made the One Dublin One Book choice for people across Hession’s home city to read. And he decides - in a moment of optimism and bravery - that he should write the sort of story that is bubbling away in him. Leonard knows what children that he was like would want to read, and this is what he sets out to create. It only takes meeting the right person at the right time to set off a spark. He puts his heart and soul into the book, even trying his hand at the illustrations. It's a project of love. But then, Leonard has a very important reader in mind. Through the new uncharted events both men are facing, their friendship remains steadfast and true. Both are each other's number one supporter. Never second guessing, never judging. During this time, Leonard worries about his friend. As his own life improves, will Hungry Paul get left behind? Hungry Paul’s sister, Grace, is worried too. Struggling to juggle her high-powered job with her final wedding plans, she fears that her brother, shunning independence, will become an increasing burden for their parents. This is the peace evoked by Ronan Hession’s voice. It’s his voice even more than his story of two single men in their thirties who live their lives as well as they can. This voice comes in at moments when the stillness—of death, of rejection, of nothing at all—takes over.If I don't believe in events, I don't believe in the characters. If I don't believe in the characters, I don't care about the characters. If I don't care about the characters, I don't care about the book.

As a hailing, this phrase is eccentric yet disarming. It also shares a description with the two characters that share the book’s title— Leonard and Hungry Paul. It is also a variation of Hungry Paul’s entry for the Chamber of Commerce’s sign-off contest, which he doesn’t want the prize money for. The two autodidacts can be found wearing paisley pajama tops to work, making jokes without meaning to be funny, or naming their parents’ house after a French song lyric that they misinterpreted. Eccentric yet disarming. This book was one of their 2019 publications – and one which featured in so many 2019 book of the year lists by bloggers/reviewers whose opinions I rate that I had to read it. One I can already see featuring on my 2020 “best of” list.

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Oh, I loved this book! I liked how Hession showed us these two men slowly and gently, revealing their strengths and flaws, as we got to know them. They are grounded in their home life, in the people they love and care for, and in those who care for them. They don’t make waves, they’re not out to change the world, or even their corner of it. Writing a weekly column featuring débuts, I’m generally aware of everything produced by Irish writers, so I was surprised when Rónán Hession’s first novel was shortlisted for a Bord Gais Energy Book Award and was anxious to procure a copy. Kalıplar, etiketler, kurumların ötesinde düşünmek; hayata geç de olsa bir yerinden ve bir biçimde tutunmak, kendi kabuğumuzun içinde iyi hissetmenin yollarını bulmak üzerine pek zarif bir roman bu. Çok tavsiye ediyorum, kimsenin hayatını değiştirmez ama okuyan herkesin kalbini yumuşatır bence. Some time ago I went to a family function and I was approached by the new boyfriend of one of my relatives. He leaned into me and whispered, “Tell me all the gossip!” It was clear he was expecting me to confide in him about secret scandals, simmering resentments and falling outs between my family members. But there weren't any. So when I shrugged and replied that we were all just having a nice visit he turned and walked away with a look of disappointment. The truth is that much of our ordinary lives and many family relations are made up of mundane details rather than high drama. But since this doesn't usually inspire riveting plots, it's not often represented in fiction. Therefore, it was refreshing to read Rónán Hession's novel “Leonard and Hungry Paul” which follows the low-key stories of two quiet friends whose interactions chiefly involve games of Scrabble or Connect Four. As with many novels, one of the main drives of this narrative is the lead up to a marriage – in this case that of Hungry Paul's sister Grace. Rather than being a high drama of anxious tension or calamitous mishaps surrounding the big day, the entire affair is summarized by one character as simply “Nice.” It's not that nothing happens; all of the main characters experience subtle life changes and shifts in perspective by the book's conclusion. But, by disallowing a story of scandalous intrigue, what I think Hession captures so beautifully and poignantly is the more realistic pulse and rhythm of life.