Don't Look Back in Ongar explained

Don't Look Back in Ongar
Author:	Paul Howard
Illustrator:	Alan Clarke
Cover Artist:	Alan Clarke
Country:	Republic of Ireland
Genre:	Comic novel, satire
Pages:	320
Language:	English
Media Type:	Print: paperback
Series:	Ross O'Carroll-Kelly
Preceded By:	Camino Royale
Dewey:	823.92
Set In:	Dublin, 2019-20
Isbn:	9781844886296

Don't Look Back in Ongar is a 2024 comic novel by Irish playwright and author Paul Howard and is the twenty-fourth and last novel in the Ross O'Carroll-Kelly series.^{[1] [2]}

The title refers to the song "Don't Look Back in Anger" (and possibly the nostalgic Virgin Media TV series) and the Dublin suburb of Ongar.^[3]

Release

The novel was released on 22 August 2024.^{[4] [5]}

Plot

Ross is turning forty, and his wife Sorcha still wants a divorce, and his father is causing trouble in Áras an Uachtaráin, while his son Ronan is working for villainous lawyer Hennessy. His mother Fionnuala, who has Alzheimer's, is placed in a luxury nursing home in Ongar.^[6]

Reviews

The Irish Times described the finale as "unexpectedly touching."^[7]

Notes and References

1. Book: O'Carroll-Kelly, Ross. Don't Look Back in Ongar. 29 August 2024 . www.penguin.co.uk.
2. Web site: Ross O’Carroll-Kelly D4 satire book series to end after 24 years with final book release. 31 May 2024. Irish Independent.
3. Web site: Don't Look Back in Ongar ebook by Ross O'Carroll-Kelly. Rakuten Kobo.
4. Web site: Alan Hanna's Bookshop, Dublin. Ross O'Carroll-Kelly Untitled 24.
5. Web site: Ross O'Carroll-Kelly Bids Farewell In Final Novel. 31 May 2024.
6. Web site: We thank Ross O’Carroll-Kelly for the laughs as he bows out with a midlife swansong. 23 August 2024. Irish Independent.
7. Web site: Don’t Look Back in Ongar: Ross O’Carroll-Kelly says an emotional, unexpectedly touching farewell. The Irish Times.