KLOPP- MY LIVERPOOL ROMANCE

With the strangest of Premier seasons in 2019/20, Liverpool-born football fan and novelist Anthony Quinn crafts the story 'Klopp - My Liverpool Romance' about LFC manager Jürgen Klopp. The Den might appear to have gone seriously left field but this Wild Card read is a delightfully paced escape choice for those who have lost faith in the novel and are looking for an alternative. Definitely a +1 read or gift!

Destined to be written by Quinn, this story of LFC in 2020 is undeniably special. With two wins away from winning their first league title in thirty years, as at March 2020 (and won later after the first lockdown), this story remains fascinating - ‘It’s football Jim, but not as we know it.’.

As a charming storyteller and novelist it is a rare treat, not just for Liverpool fans. Quinn’s wife, we are told, describes his Klopp interest as a ‘man crush’ and his narrative is so persuasive you can’t help agreeing that Klopp has proven himself to be ‘masterly; funny, mischievous, smart, charismatic’. The effortless wit and the ease of Quinn's light-hearted prose makes the narrative gallop apace and with its quirky interludes such personal diary entries, letters and ‘idea for a (theatre) sketch’ make it delightful and celebratory.

Klopp is held up as a motivational manager where the players get to play their best game, playing beyond their capabilities and not just to their limit, transforming ‘an ordinary player into a Klopp player’. Unlike traditional accounts Quinn uses his literary finesse and narrative devises to make this an enjoyable treat of a read.

Whilst this is an alternative Wild Card choice, Quinn’s other novels provide perfect escapist reads including period thrillers that are all beautifully crafted with entertaining plot twists. For a flavour consider 'Our Friends in Berlin' in our Den library or his theatrical murder mystery 'Curtain Call'.