Harper Collins

THERE’S NO BROUHAHA ABOUT O’HANLON’S SECOND BOOK, ITS BROUHILLIANT

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Ireland has long been known as a country of “Saints and Scholars”, with the odd sinner or two thrown in for good measure.  We also believe we have the gift of the gab as a result making out with the Blarney stone, along with every desperate tourist with a whiff of an Irish relative, somewhere in their distant past. Although its widely accepted that our ability to gabble on is inherent in our genes, without even setting foot near the fabled county Cork castle.

Having the gift of the gab, also allows the country to produce is fair share of comedians, without the ability to prattle on for ages in front of an audience, you’d be like a certain French clown. One of the more prominent of well-known Irish comedians in recent times is one Ardal O’Hanlon, who came to prominence in the Channel 4 hit Father Ted. He’s also followed in the footsteps of his co-stars and fellow comedian Graham Norton and comedienne Pauline McGlynn (Mrs Doyle) by turning his hand to writing. This months first book review is Brouhaha by Ardal O’Hanlon and published by Harper Collins ( www.corporate.harpercollins.co.uk ) on the 26th May.

When local artist Dove Connolly takes his own life, his best friend Philip Sharkey returns to their hometown of  Tullyanna, from a self-imposed exile abroad, and starts asking awkward questions about Dove’s death. As well as the strange graphic novel Dove left behind and the more importantly about Sandra Mohan, who mysteriously disappeared a decade ago. Philip quickly discovers there are others in the town still looking into Sandra’s disappearance, including Kevin Healy a local Garda detective, who was retired on medical grounds and a journalist Joanne McCollum, who’s written wild speculatory pieces on the case. But Tullyanna is a town not keen on giving up its secrets and Philip’s return is also drawing attention from the wrong quarters, including those from over the border and a Local political candidate, whose party was linked to a paramilitary force in the past. Can these three unlikely bed fellows work together to decipher the graphic novel and discover the truth about Dove and Sandra, before they become another digit on the body count….

I love getting signed copies of the new books, although it doesn’t always happen, but when it does, and its from someone you admire, its even better. I’ve been a fan of Ardal’s , since his days in father Ted and his other roles in the BBC Comedy My Hero and the drama Death in Paradise. I’ve even seen him live in stand up, too. So when I got the chance to review his new book, I didn’t hesitate.

The book is brilliant, and I loved it from the first page. Its full of weird and wonderful characters, you know the ones every town has. It shows what an acute eye for detail the author has and an inane ability to read the human character, developed from years of putting together great stand-up routines.

Brouhaha is an edgy dark comedy, which does for Crime fiction what Hitch Hikers Guide to The Galaxy, did for science fiction and space exploration. There’s a lot in there both politically and culturally, with Ardal taking a good dig at all in equal measure. While the characters are well developed and more than mere caricatures.

At a smidge over three hundred and forty pages, it wavers slightly in places, but O’Hanlon keeps the reader engaged with bouts of hilarity scattered generously throughout the book. While the mystery at the heart of story holds you till the end, aided by clues guiding our three unlikely heroes, borne out of a graphic novel which comes across as something akin to the marriage of the Book of Kells and piece of Japanese Manga. The political intrigue, which also abounds through book is handled deftly considering the minefield it was back during the tenuous early days following the Good Friday agreement.

Ardal O’Hanlon (The Scotsman)

This is Irish actor, comedian, documentary maker and writer Ardal O’Hanlon’s (@ardalsfolly) second book, his first was Talk of The Town (1998), re-titled Knick, Knack, Paddy Whack – in the US. At the time of writing, he is currently one of the contestants on Channel 4’s Taskmaster, hosted by Greg Davies. Ardal grew up in County Monaghan in Ireland, his father was a TD (MP) in the Irish parliament and a cabinet minister. Ardal now lives in Dublin with his family.

So, if you are looking for a humorous but gripping piece of crime fiction from one of the current leading lights of Irish comedy, then order a copy online or get down to your local bookshop and prepare to be amused by the talented Mr O’Hanlon.

Reviewed by Adrian Murphy

This book is part of a Random Things blog tour, to see what the other reviewers thought, visit in their blogs listed below. Then, if you get a copy, comeback and tell us what you thought. We’d really appreciate the feedback.

HASHIMI’S AFGHAN DRAMA LEAVES ME STARRY EYED

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In light of the current Russian invasion (or according to Putin, military exercises) in Ukraine, the month’s last book review strikes a chord as it begins with the Russian supported military coup in Afghanistan during the Cold War. Long before the West had heard much about Afghanistan and the Taliban and 9/11, Kabul was a thriving cosmopolitan capital. American and Russia vied for its attention and its resources, offering the construction of dams, roads, and universities to sweeten their cause. In my lifetime, I can’t recall when Afghanistan was a tourist destination with its beautiful landscapes, rich history and situation on the silk road at the crossroads of central and south Asia. Since the 70’s the country is more associated with coups, wars, invasions and of course the hard line political and religious control of the Taliban. The book is of Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi and published by William Morrow

( http://www.harpercollins.com/collections/william-morrow ) on the 17th March.

The book is told through the eyes of Sitara Zamani, the daughter of a prominent family associated and living in close contact with the country’s president. When the two families are assassinated during the coup, only Sitara survives. She is smuggled from the scene by a soldier called Shair. 

Sitara is adopted by an American diplomate and is moved to America under another name. There, she finishes her education and eventually trains as a surgeon. Thirty years after the night of the coup, her world is rocked again when a patient presents himself for consultation. It is Shair. Seeing him awakens her desire for answers and perhaps revenge? She returns to Kabul, now a battleground between a corrupt government and the fundamentalist Taliban to learn the truth about her family.

I started this book quite late but managed to read it in a few days. It feels like an epic read but it is so interesting and well plotted I was eager to keep going. It covers the whole story of Sitara’s life, describing her childhood, the coup, her escape, and early life in America in some detail. It then jumps forward to the present period of her meeting with Shair and her search for the truth. The jump in period was necessary as otherwise the book would be a massive tome, but it was a little disconcerting, I had been so enjoying the trials and tribulations of Sitara’s escape and arrival in the states, I’d have quite happily read a couple of hundred pages more! This is because Nadia Hamini’s style of writing is so engaging. The characters are beautifully described. I think its very hard to write children and adolescents, believeably if you are also writing about adults too. 

I loved the descriptions of the places too, but it was the warmness and humanity of the majority of the Afghani people who populated this book, that make you wish things were different and you could freely visit their country. 

Nadia Hashimi (32Letter)

Mothers and their relationships with their daughters are also featured here. You could almost feel the motherly love and compassion in some of the passages. This was highlighted by the lack of maternal instinct in Sitara’s first home in the USA.  I particularly liked how the relationship between Antonia and Tilly was described. They sound like the kind of women I’d love to hang out with. 

This American author and Pediatrician Nadia Hashimi’s ( http://www.nadiahashimibooks.com ) fourth book, her others are all international bestsellers – The Pearl that Broke Its Shell (2014), When The Moon Is Low (2015) and A House Without Windows (2016). She’s also written two childrens books. In 2003, she made her first trip to Afghanistan with her parents who had not returned to their homeland since leaving in the 1970s. She continues to serve on boards of organizations committed to educating and nurturing Afghanistan’s most vulnerable children and empowering the female leaders of tomorrow. She is a member of the US-Afghan Women’s Council and an advisor to Kallion, an organization that seeks to elevate leadership through humanities. Locally, she serves as a Montgomery County health care commissioner and organizing committee member of the Gaithersburg Book Festival.

As I say I rushed through this novel a little in my haste to make the blog tour post, but it will be a book I recommend to my bookclub and plan to read again slowly to savour. This would be an ideal Mother’s Day gift so get down to your local bookseller soon. 

Reviewed by Georgina Murphy

This book is part of a Random Things Blog Tour. To see what the other reviwers thought, visit their blogs listed beliow. then, if you get a copy, come back and tell us what you thought. We’d really appreciate the feedback.