Panenka

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Serendipitously topical and (from the author of the word of mouth phenomenon “Leonard and Hungry Paul”) another wonderful antinode to the tendency to equate misanthropy and pessimism with literary merit. I remember reading Disgrace by JM Coetzee. Disgrace is a really interesting topic and it didn’t really deal with it in a way that I was expecting… Also, I had read an interview with Daniel Timofte, the guy who lost a penalty against Ireland for Romania… He hadn’t got over it. And people hadn’t let him get over it. And though he was a very talented footballer it was still the thing he was known for. The main theme of that book is life’s unfixability. I think our mentality at times is trying to fix the things in our life to allow us to move on to try and say, well, how can you move on if they’re not fixable?

That wasn’t the case for Joseph, aka Panenka, the eponymous subject of Rónán Hession’s 2nd novel, after the much-heralded Leonard and Hungry Paul. 25 years ago Joseph was a professional football for his provincial town’s team Seneca, perennial losing semi-finalists and now struggling, their previous manager a Wenger-like shadow of his former self: These moments seem to come from a medieval morality play more than a modern novel. If that’s the point, then the books are interesting and important for the same reasons that make them slow going. Sarah Moss Ronan Hession has a way of making every single one of his characters into a protagonist. He's a master of character, and his books leave me feeling more down to earth than anyone I've ever read before. Even though I had next to nothing in common with any of them, he has a way of seeing people and humanity that makes you feel understood, and appreciated. It's incredible, and it makes it difficult to explain what a book is about, let alone why it was so damn good.

Joseph, or Panenka as he is known, has spent over 20 years living with the results of one mistake made in the football game that caused him to be an exile in his town and a stranger in his family. Now aged 50, Panenka lives with his daughter and grandson, and tries to build a life, but all he has worked for threatens to come tumbling down when he begins to have crippling headaches, which he refers to as his “Iron Mask”. They could still see glimpses of the great man whose gifts were so clearly slipping away. His usual fluency on subject of all kinds was contracting into a narrow cycle of repetitive thoughts as he attempted to solve the problem of that cursed season by going over and over his strategy obsessively.

If you object to books in which not much happens, this is not for you (though if you want happening, read the news). Nice people try hard and things get a bit better. Hession’s project, across both books, is admirable and interesting: are goodness and kindness in ordinary life enough to sustain a novel? It’s obvious that the answer should be yes, and in Leonard and Hungry Paul it was. He makes a detour to a different barber shop one day, one he hadn’t been in before, where he meets Esther. Esther is the new owner, a gentle and caring individual. She sees into Panenka’s eyes. She sees his hurt, his pain, as also experienced by herself recently. She recognises a similar soul and listens to him, really listens to him. Together they tentatively embark on a friendship as Esther breaks down a few of Panenka’s self-imposed walls.Panenka is a subtle masterpiece: the fascinating painting on the cover art could not be more appropriate. With careful, intentional strokes, Hession paints a word-portrait of a man who is neither better nor worse than any of us: he is simply a flawed human being who has made mistakes, who faces obstacles, who tries to live his life in relation to those around him. A good heart beats at the centre of this book, and though Panenka is sadder in tone than Hession’s first novel, it still has that warm glow of gentle faith in humanity, in the power of connection, in finding a way in the world that makes sense for each one of us. It is a beautiful book, and I loved it.

of the best and worst Panenkas ever". Planet Football. 3 June 2020. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017 . Retrieved 23 September 2020. As a character, Panenka himself is different from Leonard or Hungry Paul, not as innocent, perhaps less immediately appealing. He has lived life and made mistakes, and his flaws are woven into his character. But this adds a richness and maturity to the book: for all the quirks of Panenka’s life story, he is deeply relatable and realistic. He is not a bad man, but he is far from perfect, and his complexities and struggles ring absolutely true. As his history is gradually revealed, each strand adds to the picture, and we come to understand him in a way that feels organic and meaningful. This book is delicately and expertly crafted – Hession is a storyteller in whom a reader can place absolute trust. Panenka flows along so smoothly and subtly that the writer side of my brain couldn’t help but marvel at how much work must have gone into making it all seem so effortless, while the reader side of me just revelled happily in the quiet intricacy of the story. Panenka is now an adult, grandfather and a really bloody nice guy who is crippled with guilt and shame from this match. He also suffers from crippling headaches and sleepless nights which he refers to as the Iron Mask. Being chosen for One Dublin One Book has made him realise how rooted he is in the city. He grew up in Beaumont, went to school in O’Connells in the north inner city and was wandering around the city at the age of 12. (“My eldest son is 12 and I haven’t let him go to Dunnes yet.”) He went to college in Trinity. He now works in the Department of Finance. “I’m probably one of those people who, if you showed the Google Map activity at my funeral, they’ll say, ‘apart from his holidays he didn’t really go far’.” Quiet livesPanenka" is one of those novels that I think everyone will be able to relate to in some way; the characters are ordinary people with the same everyday concerns as everyone else. This novel is centered around the life of the main character, Joseph, an ex-footballer, who has become known as Panenka after an event that happened years before but which has followed him and taunted him ever since. When we meet Panenka we find out that he has a secret that he has kept from his family, and as the novel progresses it becomes harder for him to keep it. We learn all about his life and meet his friends, his daughter and grandson, as well as his new romantic interest. The story is told well, in an introspective way that enables the reader to understand what each of the characters is thinking and feeling. All the players in this story are expertly crafted and could be real people. This author understands human nature and can bring characters to life in such a way that you begin to believe in them and sympathise with them. It contains many snippets of wisdom that make you stop and think; the hallmark of a classic book. But Aguero was still able to leave the club as a hero - the title win was merely postponed, and his 182 goals which he did score over 10 seasons, which include 5 Premier League titles, ensures that.