The Book Corner: I spy...Boyd’s latest cracker

Book of the month

Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd.

Published by Penguin Books, €18.75

Now in his early 70s, William Boyd is arguably at the peak of his writing powers. His latest work, Gabriel’s Moon, is his 18th novel, to go alongside five collections of short stories, three works of non-fiction, and four plays.

What is always certain about any work Boyd produces is that it will be quality, a good story and hugely entertaining. He is not a spy novelist in the mould of a John le Carré, but when he pens something in this genre, it is a joy to behold. Don’t forget that he was chosen a decade or more ago to write a James Bond novel.

The central character in Boyd’s latest novel is Gabriel Dax, who is haunted by the shadow of an early tragedy in his life. As a child his home burnt down, and while he escaped, his mother died. He is a troubled man who drinks excessively. Set in the early 1960s we find a young Dax, then a celebrated travel writer, in the Congo to interview its new prime minister.

Patrice Lumumba tells Dax that foreign powers are trying to assassinate him, giving him the names of three agents – an American, a Brit, and a Belgian. On his return to London, Dax learns of the death of Lumumba. While travelling back from Africa, Dax encounters Faith Green, reading one of his books. She later turns up at his door, revealing that she’s head of a department within MI6, the Institute of Developmental Studies (IDS).

Dax falls under the spell of the attractive Green, who enlists him to act as a ‘messenger boy’ for her. The work of the IDS is to unearth double agents, or “termites”, as Green calls them. Dax agrees, and there follows a true spy story that travels the world, encountering a wide range of characters who will live long in the memory of the reader.

It would not be a good spy novel if there was not a complicated web of intrigue, and Boyd creates links that connect a British double agent with the president of the USA and a Spanish painter. This is all done against the background of the 60s in London, the sun-soaked cobbles of Cádiz and the frosty, cold squares of Warsaw. While Dax is the main character in the book, we get to know Green very well, enigmatic though she remains.

As the story unfolds, and Dax is at the heart of danger and paranoia that is central to the world of espionage, he is also trying to make sense of his childhood drama. It is revelations, closer to home, that change the rest of his story. Fans of William Boyd’s work will love this, and newcomers will be converted.

2 To enjoy

Nights Out at Home by Jay Rayner.

Published by Fig Tree, €25

I never envisaged that I would be recommending a recipe book as one to read and enjoy, but this is no ordinary recipe book. Jay Rayner has spent the last quarter of a century as a restaurant critic, is a broadcaster on BBC, a MasterChef judge, and a prolific author, including four volumes of fiction.

Nights Out at Home celebrates good food and is Rayner’s first cookbook. It contains 60 recipes but interspersed are stories of his restaurant visits, his life as a critic, and throughout he enlists the help of many of the chefs whose work he has reviewed.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Rayner in person at a book signing in London, and even in those few moments he exuded warmth, something that comes through in his writing, and I left with a recommendation for a restaurant serving what he considers the best Lebanese food in London.

The classic

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Published by Penguin Books, €12

One of the most beloved American novels, To Kill a Mockingbird’s fame rocketed further when, just a year after it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Gregory Peck played the part of Atticus Finch in the film adaptation, which went on to be a triple Oscar winner.

As good and as faithful as the movie was to the book, there is a warmth and humour conveyed in Harper Lee’s writing that gives more depth to the novel.

It is a story told through the eyes of six-year-old Jean Louise Finch, better known as Scout, and centres on her older brother Jeremy (known as Jem), and their father Atticus.

The latter’s brave defence of Tom Robinson, who is accused of a heinous crime, is the fulcrum of the novel’s plot, and we come to admire Atticus’s nobility and courage in a time of racial prejudice and violence.

To cherish

Jack & Jill: The Story of Jonathan Irwin by Jonathan Irwin. Published by Mercier Press, €10

Almost everyone is aware of the work done by the Jack & Jill Foundation, the charity providing in-home nursing care and respite support for children up to the age of six, founded by Jonathan Irwin and Mary-Ann O’Brien.

The nightmare the couple endured after the birth of their son Jack spurred them to try to ensure that families can be supported to care for their children in their own homes. Jonathan dedicated much of his life to raising money and awareness of the lack of publicly-funded services for sick children.

Jonathan died in December 2023, after a long illness, but he told his story in a book published a decade ago, written with the help of Emily Hourican. It is still available at jackandjillstore.ie and proceeds go towards helping the charity.

I knew Jonathan well, and this book tells his own fascinating story of a life lived to the full, with many twists and turns.