New This Month: Climbing Patrick’s Mountain by Des Kennedy

If Des Kennedy’s name is familiar to you, it’s just as likely to be due to his work as a journalist as it is to his novels. Not that they haven’t attracted a following: they have. But these are sweetly esoteric books. Lingering looks at matters of importance in the middle of life, all cored by a sensibility in rough tune with the environment. As a journalist, however, Kennedy is the go-to guy for matters of the garden. With all of these things under consideration, Climbing Patrick’s Mountain (Brindle & Glass) is not a surprise, but it’s often a delight.

Ex-pat Irishman Patrick Gallagher is a world-class breeder of roses. And a bit of a nut. Under duress, he accepts an invitation to return to Ireland to lead a garden tour. Along the way he encounters ghosts past, threats present and a future that often seems to sweat under the pressure of uncertainty.

Kennedy is a fine writer -- a novelist, indeed -- and Climbing Patrick’s Mountain is an enjoyable ride. It manages to be both a taut and gentle book. It will be loved especially by those who are entranced by all things Irish.