Leonard and Hungry Paul

I was drawn to this novel for two reasons: because it was a surprise hit in the UK last year, from a small publisher I admire, and because it was described as "a nice book about nice people." That might sound bland or even patronizing, but in the hands of Hession, an Irish musician publishing his first novel, it feels almost radical to write, not about betrayal and tragedy (the usual stuff of fiction), but about everyday kindness and forgiveness and small steps that seem immensely large to those who make them. It helps that Hession has a wonderfully modest sense of humor and, even more, a sense of the drama inherent in the lives of these two quiet, and quietly courageous, men. By the end of their story, you'll be rooting for them too.