Rónán Hession's debut novel, Leonard and Hungry Paul, was the January selection for the Irish Ficsean book club run by Sarah McLarkey (@sarahfullybooked) on Instagram. I hadn't heard of it before, but I'm delighted I picked it up, because I can't remember the last time I read a book where the stakes were so low and everyone was genuinely lovely!

I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, which is indicative of the fiction I usually read, but Leonard and Hungry Paul is a gentle story about male friendship, loneliness, grief, love, kindness, and finding your way in the world.

Leonard works for a publisher of children's non-fiction. Until recently, Leonard lived with his mother. Hungry Paul – the story behind the nickname is never revealed – lives with his parents and sometimes works for the post office. Plot-wise, there is a family wedding and a competition to devise a new email sign-off for local businesses. But the joy of this novel is in the quiet moments of daily life as Leonard and Hungry Paul navigate their thirties.

Leonard and Hungry Paul's friendship is often centred around their shared enjoyment of board games, yet it is also full of warmth and humour.

There is a timeless quality to Hession's writing. There are indicators of when the novel takes place – the aforementioned email signature competition, for one – but it doesn't feel dated or constrained by time and place. Shooting is underway for the TV adaptation, which I am looking forward to watching when it airs.

Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession is published by Bluemoose Books.

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