Saturday, December 24, 2016

Holding by Graham Norton

31364727
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Graham William Walker is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist, known by his stage name Graham Norton. He is the host of the comedy chat show The Graham Norton Show and the BBC commentator of the Eurovision Song Contest.
DESCRIPTION:
Graham Norton's masterful debut is an intelligently crafted story of love, secrets and loss.

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn't always been this overweight; mother of­ two Brid Riordan hasn't always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn't always felt that her life was a total waste.

So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke - a former­ love of both Brid and Evelyn - the village's dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.

Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad. Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters, and explore - with searing honesty - the complexities and contradictions that make us human.
REVIEW:
First things first, this definitely was  what I call a soft read. Witty, enjoyable, but a bit too nice for the crime/thriller genre. I love Graham Norton's style. He does a very well by  building his story by developing the police investigation along the lines of a romantic comedy. A very common choice, I admit, but still a successful recipe for hitting the mark.
There is pain, loss, and sorrow expressed powerfully in the novel. We encounter the harsh judgementalism that epitomises attitudes of the past in society that have resulted in emotionally broken souls. The character development of PJ Collins was excellent. The more I read of the book the more involved I got in the story. An excellent book of which the author can be proud.
Mr Norton I find you delightful not only on screen, but also in writing: You have weaved a lovely tale that I devoured in one sitting. Whether it is the best read of my life, I am not sure, but it is certainly closer than most. In my opinion the novel is less about whodunit but more about the characters and the emotions that run through the novel. It is a very rich read, very good read. I loved it.4FOXGIVEN



No comments:

Post a Comment