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The Paper Man

By: Billy O'Callaghan
Narrated by: Gerard Doyle, Helen Lloyd
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

1980s Cork. Jack Shine is sorting through his mother's belongings when he discovers a shoe box full of love letters and newspaper clippings. Jack's mother, Rebekah, was a young woman when the Second World War broke out, and she came to Cork alone as a Jewish refugee from Vienna. She died when Jack was young, and he never learned of his father's identity. So, who wrote these love letters to Rebekah and why did she keep newspaper clippings about a famous Austrian footballer player? Who was 'The Paper Man'?

As Jack begins to uncover the story of his mother's life, he is transported to 1930s Vienna, a bustling, cosmopolitan city on the brink of war. At the heart of the action is Matthias Sindelar, one of the most famous footballers in the world, known to all as 'The Paper Man' because of his effortless weave across the pitch. When Sindelar unexpectedly meets Rebekah, a young woman from a small town, both of their lives are changed forever. But as war looms, they must accept that their survival will tear them apart.

Based on real people and true events, The Paper Man is the story of twentieth-century Europe, the Holocaust, the cost of fame, and love against the odds. It is a story that will take Jack far from Cork and all the way back to Vienna, and towards The Paper Man.

©2023 Billy O'Callaghan (P)2023 Penguin Audio
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Critic reviews

The Paper Man is Bill O'Callaghan's most ambitious work to date, and it fulfils its ambitions magnificently. Exciting, moving, perceptive and wonderfully entertaining. (John Banville, author of The Sea)
Billy O'Callaghan's writing is powerfully emotional and wholly captivating from page one. The Paper Man is the best book yet by a truly gifted Irish writer (Gabriel Byrne, author of Walking with Ghosts)
Gorgeous. Billy O'Callaghan writes with such a spirit of warmth about the darkest of subjects (Sara Baume, author of A Line Made by Walking)

What listeners say about The Paper Man

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Disappointing despite its poignancy

This book has gotten some rave reviews in the author Billy O’Callaghan’s (and my) native Ireland but I was left cold and slightly torn. It is a very poignant story with a good premise but for all the descriptions- the main characters are not well drawn enough and are too shallow to invest in completely until the final quarter. I understand that the author needed to create mystery but both Rebecca and Jack were far too bland and there should have been more to make them interesting as people rather than the rambling descriptions of their surroundings.
The female narrator wasn’t bad except for her “Oirish” accents in the later stages of the book. The male narrator didn’t do it for me at all - I am Irish and found it far too “stage Irish” and it took time to adjust. I was really looking forward to this and the sadness, tragedy and loss was very well written but there are so many much better books addressing these themes set in the same time period - this wouldn’t hold a candle to the likes of the English Patient. Also although the book evoked a sense of place in Cork very well, it fell flat with Vienna showing where O’Callaghan is obviously from.
One good point though was how the grief was understated and a lot unsaid - that made it different but Jack as a protagonist needed a more vivid inner life. As an Irish person living abroad not sure if this will have universal appeal given the quality of so many books set at this time. What leaves me torn is the undoubtably well put together premise and I could see this disappointing book being adapted into something much better for the screen.

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Potentially great in reality average

This could have been so much more. The story could have been developed more with less concentration on flowery description, which was fine but slowed the story down. Looked forward to listening but ended up being slightly disappointed

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