Leonard and Hungry Paul: A Novel

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Expectations change, and for those of us who are quiet and unassuming, this can be daunting and scary.

The story is often quite funny - some of the stuff Hungry Paul came out with made me chuckle, even though his humour was often unintentional.Other highlights include conversations over Scrabble or Yahtzee and volunteer visits to the local hospital, where he chats with long-term patients, or (preferring to hold his peace) simply holds their hands in a companiable silence. The limited plot is mercifully free of coincidence or twists – if I had a criticism it would be that some scenes (an out-of-date chocolates incident and a IT-helpdesk colleague) seem to be lifted from a sit-com. Longlisted for the 2020 Republic of Consciousness Prize, the judges said: Books this charming and gentle are rarely also as engaging; the power Hession wrings out of such ordinary situations is almost subversive. Leonard, who works writing entries for children’s encyclopedias, recognises that this represents a key turning point in his life and that he has the choice either to retreat further from the world (which he fears will turn him into a grumpy eccentric) or start to carefully engage with it (a path he embarks on when a single mother at work – her child a fan of his work - starts to show interest in him).

Hession’s novel is an ode to the joys of a quiet life, and to the importance of prioritising the little things. Here the novel struggles to escape the fate of all books about unexciting people: they’re not exciting. Leonard’s days are slightly (but only slightly) busier, owing mainly to his work, writing the facts for children’s encyclopaedias.

Sometimes it is essential to read a book like Leonard and Hungry Paul as it changes your perspective and makes you smile in the process. I enjoyed it immensely, bidding farewell to our two friends with great reluctance, so it’s probably for the best that having come to it so late, I’m actually just in time for Hession’s next book – and, judging by the fact that the publisher had to reprint Panenka before it even came out, it’s safe to say that this one is also set to do well.

They each live at home, they play board games, take satisfaction in their work, like to read, and are, in general, nice. The leisurely pace flags further when it comes to the subplots, which involve even less remarkable relatives. These 2 men are sweet, unconcerned about life, play board games together, and see the world differently.A man who had stood by him through everything and who had always reserved a space in his (admittedly quite) life just for Leonard.