Akin

Noah is approaching his 80th birthday and has decided that it would be unseemly to continue his academic career into his eighties, so somewhat reluctantly takes his first step into retirement.

As a child he lived in Nice but never visited as an adult so he deems it an appropriate destination for a post-retirement trip. In any case, he has a collection of his mother's photographs and is keen to use them as springboards to fill in the gaps in his knowledge of his family history. What he didn't anticipate having to do during his trip was care for his great-nephew, 11-year-old Michael, whose mother has recently been incarcerated.

Stuck between having to cancel his trip or abandon Michael, he compromises by bringing him along. At first they are completely at odds with each other, their backgrounds and characters couldn't be more different, and of course they are at opposite ends of the life cycle. Even direct family members struggle with generational gaps, but these two don't even know each other. As they struggle to 'get on' they eventually come to realise that each has something to offer the other and that despite their differences they have much in common too. The way that Donoghue highlights their differences is a delight; how they relate to and process the world around them, the language they use, both standard and profane, and their expectations of what is fair and normal, serves up many entertaining interchanges. There are some heavy issues covered in this book, but the dynamic between the 'odd couple' is incredibly touching and serves to soften the darkness that has touched both of them, albeit in very different ways and with very different consequences.

Donoghue depicts a relationship that is both amusing and affecting; she has an ability to convey a range of human emotion and experience that hits hard but is cushioned with tenderness. A truly memorable novel.

Submitted by Lorna