Sometimes the pleasure of reading fiction is very simple: immersion in a good story skillfully told.  That was certainly true with Anne Griffin’s debut novel, an advance copy of which I was given by a publisher friend in London recently.  He warned me that the story would grab me and not let go, and he was right.  On the long flight home, I wasn’t tempted for a moment to watch movies or take a nap, engrossed as I was in a tale about family, aging, bereavement and love.

Maurice Hannigan, 84 years old, a wealthy Irish farmer and landowner, sits at a hotel bar reminiscing about his life and the five people who made it meaningful, raising a glass to each of them in turn.  Not long widowed, Maurice has set his affairs in order and it’s time for the final reckoning.  Love, loss, greed, and regret: all loom large in Maurice’s long monologue as his memory stretches back through the years.

This is a very assured first novel by an author who’s a natural storyteller.  It won’t win awards; those tend to be in the gift of judges who admire stylistic tricks or linguistic flair.  It will, however, delight readers who love a good tale about the important things in a life.