Graham Norton’s brilliance shines through in this book which was released in April 2022, it is part of The Reading Agency Quick Reads series. I have now bought some other books in the Quick Read Series, as I enjoyed this book so much.
The question is what happened to the man who disappeared from the beach?
Helen, a former teacher, is a single woman who lives with her sister on the Irish coast.
The day the man disappeared Helen saw him struggling in the water and can’t get what she saw out of her mind, so she tries to find out what happened to the man she saw.
This 80 page book had me enthralled from page one. The ability to create such rounded characters in a fleshed out world in such a short story is an amazing skill. I love Graham’s writing, in particular, I enjoy how he does not try to create a tense background to his stories, they all happen in very normal, everyday settings, which I think helps juxtapose the headline action against a relaxed, rural backdrop. This book is another great example of how the extraordinary can happen in ordinary circumstances.
Page 80 came rocketing at me far faster than I hoped, and the book felt much shorter than that. I wish the book was longer, but, it is a perfect short story as not a single word has been wasted and there is no filler present.
I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys short stories, Graham Norton’s other books, or just a good story. I always look forward to reading Graham’s books.
I would rate this as 4 out of 5, I am taking one point away, as I would happily read a 300-500 page version of this story. I will happily read this book again.
You Know When You 