David Lodge - Paradise News

Review by Brian Lowen on show 19th August 2010
Bernard Walsh is an ex Catholic Priest who has lost the faith and is now a college lecturer teaching theology. He lives a very simple life, sharing a room in the college and eating in the refectory.

Then, out of the blue, he receives a letter from his Aunt Ursula, the black sheep of the family. She has got an advanced form of cancer and would dearly love to see her brother Jack, Bernard’s Dad, again before she dies. There is only one problem – she lives in Hawaii, and Jack has never been up in an aircraft, let alone fly halfway around the world.

Bernard decides that he must take his Father over to see his sister to comply with her dying wish. And so we are led through the problems Bernard has in persuading his Father to go and the somewhat hilarious experience of their eventual flight across two oceans and all of North America, finally arriving in Hawaii as part of a package holiday group, as that was the cheapest way to get there.

We get involved in the various different holiday experiences of the rest of the group as Bernard and Jack settle into Ursula’s apartment where they have been told they can stay.
The next day they set off to visit Ursula in hospital only for Jack to be knocked down by a car as he failed to look the right way when crossing the road – forgetting that cars drive on the other side of the road in this American state. He is rushed off in an ambulance and admitted to hospital once the receptionist is satisfied their medical insurance will cover the cost!

Bernard meanwhile is invited to dinner by the lady who had knocked over his Dad as she is worried that they may sue her, but Bernard reassures her that it was entirely his Dad’s fault, stepping out in front of her without any warning.

Bernard visits Ursula in hospital to explain what has happened to Jack. She becomes very fond of Bernard and explains why she wishes to see Jack for one last time. Bernard is kept busy visiting the two hospitals but meanwhile has time to start developing a friendship with Yolande – the lady who had knocked over his Dad. Bernard has led a very chaste life and is somewhat frightened of any sexual experience but Yolande is very patient and gradually allays his apprehension and teaches him the art of love-making until he finally emerges into a normal hot-blooded male.

Bernard is given right of attorney by Ursula over her financial affairs and discovers that she is in fact now quite well off due to some old shares that she had. He moves her into a luxurious nursing home and eventually is able to arrange for her to meet his Dad by taking her to his hospital in an ambulance.

Bernard meanwhile has fallen in love with Yolande who is going through a divorce and has a teenage daughter to complicate things but is really quite happy to move to England.
Do they get together? Well I think it is worth just saying that those who are patient eventually get what they want, and Bernard is a very patient person.

A lovely story, a bit bogged down with a lot of really unnecessary theology, but still an excellent read with a real feel-good factor, but would probably put a lot of people off from visiting Hawaii! Thoroughly recommended and I shall look out for more books by David Lodge who I see has won several prizes for his novels.
Review by Brian