This is a love story, set against the Irish literary background of the years 1986–2015. Both authors were writing steadily for the 29 years they were together, but their careers could not have been more different: while Aidan focussed on his form-bending writing, Alannah instinctively prioritised work that would pay bills and provide Aidan with some of the most stable and productive years of his life. In this way, they were the best for each other, but as Aidan’s health diminished and Alannah finally ceased being his full-time carer, she found herself – often guiltily – with more ‘freedom’ to write whatever she wanted.

Hopkin tells their story chronologically, faithfully and ‘without commentary’, from the evening they were introduced by poet Derek Mahon, through the joyful, challenging and dark years of marriage, writing and mental ill-health, and right up until Aidan’s last moments when his hand went limp in hers. A Very Strange Man is an exceptional piece of writing, objective and authoritative, and personal, vulnerable and moving.