Paddy de Courcy, a suave, supposedly CHARMING, Irish politician, is the central character that the four female main characters are associated with in Marian Keyes’ THIS CHARMING MAN. Each woman tells about their connection with Paddy in a first person point of view narrative. This really helps a reader to understand the characters and the part that Paddy plays in their lives. This is a serious story but Marian Keyes injects just enough humor into the story to make for a bearable, but fascinating, read. She gives us a realistic look at how depression, destructive relationships, and domestic violence can affect people’s lives.
The four females who tell their stories are Lola, Grace, Alicia, and Marnie. When it is announced that Paddy will be marrying Alicia, the three other women tell about their relationships with Paddy. Lola, who is a stylist, is especially upset in that she was currently supposed to be Paddy’s love interest. When she finally gets Paddy to explain why their affair is not working, he tells her rather heartlessly that she would not make a good politician’s wife. Could it be her somewhat wacky lifestyle and purple hair? Lola thinks not and so her way of dealing with things is to run. She goes to live along the Irish coast where she meets an interesting group of people including some transvestites. Lola’s story is told through her diary which at times can be annoying to follow.
Marnie and Grace are twins. Grace is a journalist who is a strong woman but was a teenager when she was involved with Paddy only to have him go off later with her twin sister. Even though she could see that Paddy’s relationship with Marnie was not a good one, Grace still has certain feelings for him. As much as she doesn’t want to be, she remains attracted to Paddy. Her feelings are so strong that they play a big part in ruining her own life in many ways.
Marnie, the saddest story in my opinion, allows Paddy to wreck her life as a hardworking housewife and mother. Marnie lives in what would look to be the perfect life with her lovely home and two children but she hides a dark secret. This secret is about to destroy her. When Alicia steals Paddy away from Marnie, it sends Marnie spiraling into her alcoholic death trap.
Alicia is not the most liked person in the book. She is made out to be the villainess but even her story is one that we know will be sad because of her relationship with the destructive, callous Paddy. She is a widow, conservative, well off and will make the perfect Mrs. Politician for Paddy de Courcy. All well and good for him, but what does Alicia get from this?
How and what Paddy does with, and to, each of these women is what weaves the evil throughout this story. What happens to each “victim” and to Paddy is what keeps the reader turning pages to find out the ending. Will these women every find peace and resolution? Will they find satisfaction as a result of what happens to Paddy? Will Paddy win or be driven into his own hellish prison of evil? Readers, who are not fans of Marian Keyes before, will be after reading this book. Hopefully, they will also give her other books a read as they are not all this serious but they are all this good!
Just How Charming is He? A Review of "This Charming Man" by Marian Keyes
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