Born in Clondalkin, a suburb of Dublin, Norton’s first big TV appearance was as Father Noel Furlong on Channel 4’s Father Ted in the early 1990s. But Declan has secrets that he can never tell, and Carol's indefatigable mammy isn't going to let things lie. So, Carol, must vacate the house and move in with her parents Moira, her judgmental mother and Dave, her quiet seemingly spacy father who only seems to do as he is told.

She was such a wonderfully realised character, literally popping off the page in every scene she was in. I'll be checking out his backlist for more fun and I highly recommend this entertaining story to those who enjoy a blend of Family Fiction and Cozy Mystery that's on the darkly humorous side! An unexpected twist, about halfway, kept me glued to the story and attempting to figure out who it was and how everyone involved was going to fix the mess they found themselves in.When Declan developed early onset dementia, his adult children placed him in a care facility and put the home on the market. It was actually very refreshing to hear Graham speak of his own book in such terms as it’s authentic and sets the bar for any reader going in.

Forever Home audiobook narrated by the author, Graham Norton, is definitely a "Yes, please" and "Thank you very much" experience for me. Has Joan left the stultifying atmosphere of Ballytoor for freedom across-the-water or is she shacked up somewhere in Dublin? That’s not my usual approach to life, I hasten to add, but it was nice, especially in the context of so many other distractions when it was hard to maintain long periods of concentration. She has an undemanding job, lives alone in her own personal squalor, and her only social life is online. The style of the story becomes more comedic (and tragic at the same time) with the pace of the writing picking up too.She is divorced and has one adult son who lives in London and while they are not exactly estranged, it is clear that his distant and separate life is a source of pain to her. MARILYN has somehow fallen into motherhood and spent four decades married to DAVID, who's pretty certain he loves her more than anyone has ever loved another person. Pettiness and small-minded attitudes are infectious, and behaviour is controlled by anxious ‘what will the neighbours think?

I love Graham Norton's writing style - if you have read any of his other books then you'll love this one too. At first Killian and Sally seem to be nasty pieces of work; cold towards Carol as if she were the evil stepmother in a fairy story. It is a heartwarming story about finding your place in the world, even when things don’t go according to plan. Carol’s mother is determined to get to the bottom of things, she won’t see her daughter suffer in this way. Carol is devasted knowing Declan would be against selling the family home but with no other choice she moves in with her mother Moira.From the first pages the story draws you in and it’s impossible to put down, a case of just one more page.

Graham Norton creates a claustrophobic world of intrusion and intrigue in the small fictional town of Ballytoor, in West Cork.In Forever Home he explores similar themes of complex family dynamics, love relationships, modern culture and life in Ireland and, in this novel, as in his first, Holding, a slightly macabre twist! Norton excels at painting everyone in their true colours, even if at times their introspection and feelings towards others was less than charitable.