Leonard and Hungry Paul

In “Leonard and Hungry Paul,” Ronan Hession crafts a world that breathes in the quiet spaces. Leonard and Hungry Paul are two men who live on the edges of life's grand narrative, content with their own modest rhythms. Leonard, a writer of children's encyclopedias, is adrift in the quiet aftermath of his mother's death, while Hungry Paul drifts through his days with the unhurried grace of one who has made peace with the world. Their story is one of friendship, simplicity, and the understated beauty of a life lived quietly.

The novel is a study in contrasts, exploring themes of contentment, the delicate balance of human relationships, and the profoundness of the mundane. In a world often dominated by noise and chaos, Leonard and Hungry Paul stand as symbols of quiet resistance, reminding us that true meaning is often found not in loud proclamations or grand gestures, but in the gentle, almost imperceptible shifts of daily life. Against the backdrop of a noisy world, the stillness of their lives highlights the fragility of human connection, especially in Leonard's nervous romance—a budding relationship that mirrors the awkward dance of two souls finding their way to each other. Steeped in the anxieties of new love, this romance is achingly real, marked by overanalyzed conversations, constant self-doubt, and wondering. Hession allows it to unfold naturally, letting it breathe, stumble, and grow in its own time.

Published in 2019, on the cusp of a world that would soon be plunged into a collective introspection, “Leonard and Hungry Paul” resonates with a kind of timelessness, an antidote to the frantic pace of contemporary existence. In a time when the world was on the brink of unprecedented global change, this novel serves as a quiet reflection on the value of stillness and the overlooked beauty in the everyday.

4 out of 5 stars: “A quiet exploration of friendship and the beauty of the mundane, though though occasionally disrupted by its own introspections.”