**Fat Lad by Glenn Patterson - Preloved Paperback** Meet Michael "Fat Lad" Mateer, a thirty-something Belfast bloke whose life gets properly turned upside down when his wife leaves him. This darkly comic contemporary fiction follows our hapless hero as he stumbles through divorce, dating disasters, and discovering who he really is beneath the self-deprecating nickname that's stuck since childhood. Patterson delivers a brutally honest exploration of masculinity, self-image, and finding your place in modern Northern Ireland. His razor-sharp wit cuts through heavy themes of identity and belonging, creating something genuinely moving without the saccharine nonsense. Perfect for readers who loved Nick Hornby's neurotic protagonists or Roddy Doyle's working-class humor. Glenn Patterson, one of Ireland's most celebrated contemporary authors, crafts characters so real you'd recognize them down the pub. This preloved copy from Patina Paperbacks shows minor wear but delivers maximum emotional punch. **Reader Reviews:** "Hilarious and heartbreaking - Patterson nails the male midlife crisis without making you want to throttle the protagonist." "Finally, a divorce novel that's actually funny instead of just miserable. Brilliant Belfast setting too."
