Ronan Hession - Panenka

Ronan Hession - Panenka 

4⭐

Genre:  Irish Literature, Novella, Contemporary, Fiction, Literary Fiction

Pages: 164

Format: Paperback 

Publisher:  Bluemoose Books Ltd

Date Published: 2nd February 2022

 

Book Blurb: 

His name was Joseph, but for years they had called him Panenka, a name that was his sadness and his story. Panenka has spent 25 years living with the disastrous mistakes of his past, which have made him an exile in his home town and cost him his dearest relationships. Now aged 50, Panenka begins to rebuild an improvised family life with his estranged daughter and her seven year old son.

But at night, Panenka suffers crippling headaches that he calls his Iron Mask. Faced with losing everything, he meets Esther, a woman who has come to live in the town to escape her own disappointments. Together, they find resonance in each other’s experiences and learn new ways to let love into their broken lives.

My Review: 

Joseph misses a crucial penalty against a rival team that could have taken the team Seneca to the next level. The whole fan community is disappointed, as he had so much potential to be the best. The whole fan community also hates Joseph, as he missed a crucial chance for the team to progress. His career is over in a heartbeat, and everyone starts calling him Panenka. 25 years later, he is still holding the guilt of what he is done, he can’t let go of his past and his mistake. Panenka is now 50 and trying to reconcile with his daughter Marie-Therese, who he abandoned after his guilt took over 25 years ago, he is also battling an illness about which only a 40-year-old hairdresser and his only friend knows, all, whilst his team Seneca trying to come back to the top after 25 years in a low.

I was hoping this novel will be something special, as I had so many high hopes for it. However, it was quite boring and not as engaging as I thought it would be. Most of the story is about Panenka’s guilt and self-pity, and not much was explained about how his career ended and there wasn’t a lot on football. I was really expecting more of this story to revolve around football. For me, this book felt without an ending. It just ended without much resolution. What I did enjoy about this book was that it was very beautifully written and easy to read.

Overall: A very average book that I had so many high hopes for, but I was really let down. I did enjoy the writing of this book and its premise, but just not how it was executed. 

About the Author:

Rónán Hession, known as Mumblin' Deaf Ro, is an Irish blues musician and novelist. He lives in Dublin with his wife and two children and supports Watford Football Club. Hession has to date published two acclaimed novels: Leonard and Hungry Paul and Panenka. 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/18776546.Ronan_Hession