Another excellent read from Graham Norton who has the happy knack of being able to create totally real characters whilst simultaneously making a pretty unreal, implausible situation seem so normal it’s almost mundane. Two families living in a small-town in Ireland, with complicated ties, collide in the most interesting, over-the-top way. As he proved with his previous three novels, Norton is a wizard at evoking the impressionistic tapestry of the misty Irish seaside ambience. From the first pages the story draws you in and it’s impossible to put down, a case of just one more page. There are more serious issues dealt with in the book (dementia, child pornography, gay couple having a child), but these are all handled with the lightest of touches so that the book never becomes bogged down but rather stays entertaining and gossipy.

Forever Home: GRAHAM NORTON: The KING of dark comedy

At its heart is Carol, a quietly heroic late-fortysomething divorcee who finds love again with the much-older Declan. Others would post the diatribes from right or left; she preferred the clip of a monkey saving a kitten from a well. I love Graham Norton's writing style - if you have read any of his other books then you'll love this one too.

A Keeper (2018) and Home Stretch (2020) followed, cementing his place as a comic chronicler of the idiosyncrasies and strange goings on of small-town Ireland. Carol is devastated as she knows for a fact Declan never wanted to sell the house, but shockingly she finds Killan is the executor of the estate and has made this decision.

Forever Home – HarperCollins Forever Home – HarperCollins

Is taken from my mother, where - you know, silence in the car to me is you're driving along silently. But there's not much of my life - I deliberately tried to keep my life out of the books because - I mean, it's different here, in this country, where I'm - you know, I'm not really very well-known at all.After Declan is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, Carol stops teaching and turns to full-time care of her partner. Carol discovers that Declan’s past is full of secrets and the house they shared takes on a more sinister significance. His story encompasses many poignant moments and serious themes interspersed with his trademark humour.