Man Power

Everybody remembers where they were the day they heard that Paddy de Courcy was getting married,” says Grace Gildee, one of the four women in Marian Keyes’ funny yet sometimes sad new novel.

She is one of four girls affected by the big news about the charismatic politician.

Stylist Lola has every reason to be interested in who Paddy’s marrying because she’s his girlfriend, yet she definitely isn’t the bride-to-be.

Journalist Grace wants the inside story on de Courcy and thinks Lola holds the key.

Grace’s sister Marnie still can’t forget her first love: a certain Paddy de Courcy.

And what of the soon-to-be Mrs de Courcy? Alicia will do anything for her fiancé and is determined to be the perfect wife. But does she know the real Paddy?

More women read fiction than men, and the Irish writer’s bestselling novels are definitely aimed at women, but I’ve read a few of her novels and have always been thoroughly entertained.

The queen of page turners ensures that there are plenty of laughs in her latest story, but there are also serious issues at stake, including domestic violence, although I don’t want to give too much away.

As part of the novel is set in the world of Irish politics, Keyes has done plenty of research to make sure the back story is authentic.

She tells readers in her acknowledgements: “Part of this book is set in the unattractive, broken-veined world of Irish politics, and I’ve taken the liberty of changing the names of Ireland’s two main political parties from Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to the National Party of Ireland and the Christian Progressives.

“This wasn’t an attempt to avoid a libel suit – I really do think Irish politicians are as hideous as they appear in this pages, worse if anything – it was just an attempt to make pronunciation a bit easier for non-Irish readers.

“While writing this book I had to do tons of research, which I absolutely hate, but people were incredibly generous with their time and patience.

“And finally, thank you to all the survivors of domestic violence who – anonymously – told me what had happened to them.

“When writing this book, it was my humble intention to honour their stories.”

This Charming Man will make you laugh just like the author’s other novels, but Keyes has made an effort to combine the fun of the manhunt with thought-provoking issues.

This necessitates a sudden change of tone at times but Keyes is experienced enough to handle the switch.

Although out now in paperback, when I picked it up it felt like a hardback, boasting a whopping 885 of them. If you choose this as your beach read, then perhaps make it a 10-day break.

l This Charming Man by Marian Keyes is published by Penguin, price £7.99.

AND THE AUTHOR...?

Marian Keyes, right, was born in the west of Ireland in 1963. She was brought up in Dublin, studied for a law degree and then went to London where she got a job as a waitress. She then moved to an accounts office.

During her 20s, her low self-esteem developed into a drink problem and by the time she was 30, she had checked into rehab following a suicide attempt. She has stayed sober ever since.

Ms Keyes started writing in 1993 and her first novel, Watermelon, was published in Ireland in 1995.

She wrote four chapters of Watermelon in a week, and was offered a three book contract on the strength of it.

Since then, she has become a publishing phenomenon and more than 10 million copies of her novels have been sold worldwide.

In November 1996, she became a full-time writer, with her books gaining a reputation for their unusual blend of comedy and darkness, covering subjects like depression, addiction and illness.

She is often compared to Helen Fielding because she started writing at about the same time that Bridget Jones’ Diary came out, and the two authors are both comic writers covering ordinary women’s issues.

More than a decade ago, she moved back to Ireland and married an Englishman so that she wouldn’t miss London too much.

She was worried that she would hate the small-town feel of Dublin but had not realised that when she was away the city had become “groovyville”.

She says it is now nearly impossible to buy a “grand cup of tea” because all that’s available is skinny double mocha lattes.

Her books are published worldwide and have been translated into 32 different languages, including Hebrew and Japanese.