Leonard and Hungry Paul are not portrayed as flawed or unreliable – on the contrary they have a clarity of understanding due to their clutter-free attitude to life. I am truly grateful that Leonard and Hungry Paul has been selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club: I feel particularly honoured that the book has connected with librarians and the book lovers at The Reading Agency; after all, this is a story about, and a tribute to, the specialness of quiet, gentle people.

Leonard and Hungry Paul, by Rónán Hession, is a novel of wry intelligence wrapped around the quiet rhythms of ordinary lives as they are being lived. The apparent simplicity of the narrative carries the reader through moments of insight as characters speak from their hearts on everyday dilemmas. The rarity of such truthfulness in conversation and the skill with which thoughts and feelings are conveyed make this a singular read. 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 involvedHe didn’t have to decide which of a patient’s limbs to amputate first, or where to invest the life savings of a company’s pensioners. There was no pressure to report fourth quarter losses to the “higher ups” in HQ … His job, on the few days he did it. Involved no agonised decisions or regrets that might spoil the conversation over dinner. Neither man has ever really learned how to handle social interaction. They’re awkward and often overthink what they should say, resulting in their saying nothing (or, worse, saying the wrong thing). But they slowly come to realize that they do have something to offer to others … if only their quiet and steady presence. I think I would have enjoyed this far more if it hadn’t had so many unreal or cliched events/characters/conversations. There are several scenes (yes, you, IT Help Desk Guy) that seem to be there with an eye to the movie. In fact, large parts of the book seem to be written with a movie version in mind. But there are also bits that are frankly unbelievable (a huge cash prize for a competition and only 3 entrants, getting a job with the mime association because you can’t think of anything to say in an impromptu speech?). I don’t mind unbelievable events in a novel, but this doesn’t feel like that kind of novel.

The first I feel compelled to deploy is 'feel-good fiction’ (or the term of the moment, 'up-lit'). Unlike other novels that fall into this category, the focus shifts away from individuals overcoming obstacles: damaged pasts, disfigurement or dementia. The heroes (another label, but one I feel is fully justified) are those who refuse to wear a mask, presenting themselves without airs and graces, exactly as they are. I'm disinclined to call them misfits or underdogs, because, despite being aware that they are most definitely not cool, both Leonard and Hungry Paul are perfectly happy in their own skins and don't feel the need to adapt to suit others. 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. yazar Rónán Hession'ın ilk romanıymış bu. 30larında iki arkadaş olan Leonard ve Paul'ün süssüz dostluklarını merkeze alıp, ikilinin hayatının bir dönemine göz atıyor yazar ve bence bizi bildiğimiz kategorilerin dışında düşünmeye çağırıyor zarifçe. Hızlıca bazı kalıplara sokabileceğimiz karakterler bunlar aslında, mesela pekala "başarısız" diyebileceğimiz tipler ama o stereotiplerin dışında / ötesinde kim olduklarını görmemizi sağlıyor bu tatlı roman. Part of why I enjoy Hession’s books so much is that they’re unashamedly kind and optimistic when literary fashion often veers towards the dark and nihilistic. He puts this down to a couple of influences. “Leonard and Hungry Paul in particular, is heavily influenced by coming out of a decade of reading children’s books for my kids,” he says. “What children’s books do a bit better than other fiction is they try to go beyond just saying ‘the world is a bad place’… They try and say, ‘Is there a way to be in the world, given the world is the way it is? How do I engage with the world without it overwhelming me?’… That’s something I think of in my own life and it comes out in the book.” As sometimes happens with boys who prefer games to sports, Leonard had few friends but lots of ideas. His mother understood with good intuitive sense that children like Leonard just need someone to listen to them”

Overall, this début examines the people who, through living quiet lives, generally escape our notice. If there’s a message here, it’s that people generally have hidden depths, and that whilst there’s a lot of kindness in the world, much of it is expressed in private. There have been some admirable debuts published in 2019, but this one, for me, towers over the rest of them. Rónán Hession has a three-book deal; I can’t wait to see what he produces next. There are so many deep ponderings and musings. Possibly unintentionally so. I loved the thought processes of these two. Two thirty-something single men are friends. They each live at home, they play board games, take satisfaction in their work, like to read, and are, in general, nice. Can quiet, gentle people change the world?