The Paper Man

(Hardback)

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A sweeping and unforgettable interwar love story, from the Costa-shortlisted and bestselling Irish author of Life Sentences A sweeping and unforgettable interwar love story, from the Costa-shortlisted and bestselling Irish author of Life Sentences A BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2023 IN IRISH TIMES, RT GUIDE AND SUNDAY INDEPENDENT 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.

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
The Paper Man is a beautiful, layered novel about love, football and family. As the world falls apart in its darkest hours, this story tells of a life so bright, it echoes on into the generations: so that even in tragedy, there is always hope -- Elaine Feeney, author of As You Were
A lovely, piercing book -- Sebastian Barry, praise for LIFE SENTENCES
Momentuous and epic storytelling -- Bernard McLaverty, praise for LIFE SENTENCES

Author Bio

Billy O'Callaghan is the author of the critically acclaimed novel My Coney Island Baby, which has been translated into nine languages and was shortlisted for the Encore Award 2020. Stories in his collection The Boatman and Other Stories were shortlisted for the Costa Short Story Award and for Writing.ie Short Story of the Year in the An Post Irish Book Awards. He lives in Douglas, a village on the edge of Cork City.