Graham Norton (1) (1963–)

Elizabeth Keane, a university professor in New York City, returns to Ireland, her native land, to take care of financial and practical matters after the death of her mother. In a box in a closet, hidden under a duvet, Elizabeth finds love letters written to her mother by a man named Edward Foley, of whom she has never heard. Raised by a single mother who kept mum about her male parent, Elizabeth realizes quickly that she has found her father, a farmer, who lives many hours' drive away.

And so the tale begins. It is a twisting, winding tale, little shocks and big surprises thrown in to an outwardly-seeming peaceful and rustic yarn. There is a side-story as well, of Elizabeth's 17-year old son and his missteps and secrets that lead to a whole new life opening up for Elizabeth.

I really enjoyed this book. In order to get it finished before bedtime, I skipped a hot dinner and opted for a sandwich; forwent a post-prandial walk in the bracing cold of a Canadian January, and put all thoughts aside of the thriller I'm watching on Netflix. It was well worth the little sacrifices. I liked Graham Norton's first novel, Holding, and A Keeper was even better. I hope he keeps writing; I'd love to read more of his novels.… (mehr)

Two years ago I found The Graham Norton Show on YouTube, and watched all the episodes and compilations and "best ofs" that I could find. When I discovered that Mr. Norton had written a novel, I bought it eagerly. Then it fell behind other books on my overloaded bookshelf and it was forgotten until a few weeks back when I decided to clear out the aforementioned shelves.

I don't know what I was expecting, but Holding is a lovely little book. Full of warmth and love for his Irish homeland, the book made me long for a plane ticket and a car to drive around the Emerald Isle. I spent a day in Dublin once, but I've not seen the countryside, at least I hadn't until I read this story.

Sergeant PJ Collins is stationed in Duneen, a small community in which nothing really happens, and where his job consists of directing traffic, and giving out speeding tickets. PJ is obese and horribly self-conscious. He's never had a wife or a family and he is lonely. Some new houses are being built just outside the village and a body of a young male is found. Some months later the body of an infant is found nearby. Suddenly PJ has a lot to do, and he learns that he can do it well. He also learns that despite his self-hatred that there are women who find him attractive, and so his confidence in his job and in his personal life soars.

Of course there are lots of twists and turns in the plot, some of them quite shocking, and I found myself impressed by how deft a hand Norton has at writing mysteries. More than anything he writes about people, and the events just tumble into one another as they do in real life. The book made me smile, and in one spot I teared up. It's a very good debut novel, and I know that there are two more, which I will also seek out.… (mehr)