'The Last Stop' - the value of tolerance

Connor Hayes survives an accident but is haunted by his past, in the novel "The Last Stand".

The Last Stop (Home Stretch) is Graham Norton's third novel, published in 2020, won the Irish Book Award and was a bestseller on the Irish Times. The Sunday Times . At the end of July, the Vietnamese translation by Hac Long was published by San Ho Books in collaboration with Thanh Nien Publishing House. The work uses a multi-layered storytelling style, opening with a curious situation, from which the secrets and pain of the characters are gradually revealed.

In the town of Mullinmore (Ireland) in 1987, a car accident took place the day before the wedding of Bernie Bradley and Michael Hegarty, killing them, leaving another person permanently disabled, with only Connor Hayes and Martin Coulter surviving. Connor Hayes admitted to being the driver and was given a suspended sentence.

Connor had to wander from England to America to escape the scandal, and was once kicked out by his housemates for being gay. Back home, Martin married Ellen - Connor's sister. After more than 20 years, Connor met Ellen's son in America, decided to face the past and reconnect with his family. At this time, Ellen also learned that her husband Martin was the driver who caused the accident. After a period of arguing, the two divorced.

The truth was revealed, Connor returned to his hometown, reunited with his parents, and was accepted by his family as his true gender. In 2019, he met Martin again at his nephew's wedding. Faced with Martin's apology, Connor only laugh and brush it off

Cover of the book "The Last Step", 370 pages. Photo: San Ho Books

The novel delves into the innermost corners of the characters, addressing the pain of gender identity in personal and social relationships through the author's respectful perspective. Ultimately, the publication celebrates the value of forgiveness and tolerance.

Writer Norton succeeds in creating characters with complex psychology, such as Connor Hayes - who has many secrets to hide, or his family members, thereby providing a multi-dimensional perspective on how tragedies affect different individuals.

The work received much praise from international critics and readers. Journalist Darragh McManus commented The Last Stop as ''a love letter from Norton to his homeland - the people and places that shaped him, for better and for worse''. According to Darragh McManus, the author does not gloss over the bad things in general and in particular, but at the same time feels the complexity within people, appreciates and honors the positive aspects of Irish society past and present.

Magazine Booklist affirms: ''Norton has a gift for depicting the intense, melancholy life of provincial Ireland, where secrets only emerge when forced and even then, are not entirely free to come out. His vivid characters draw the reader into this quiet, emotional prose''.

Author Graham Norton. Photo: The Irish Times

Graham Norton, real name Graham William Walker, 61 years old, from the suburbs of Dublin, Ireland, is a MC, broadcaster, actor and writer. He tried his hand at writing for a long time but only published his first novel in 2016.

Norton's stories are mysterious, involving themes of sexual orientation and intergenerational pain in provincial Irish families. Some of his notable works are Still holding (Holding), Housekeeper (A keeper), Eternal home (Forever Home).

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