In the third outing for Paula Spencer – mother, alcoholic, domestic abuse survivor – Doyle captures her strength and vulnerability in prose that radiates energy and life

Roddy Doyle’s new novel might be the best thing he has written, and I qualify that only because it’s the third book featuring his character Paula Spencer, and the previous two remain the high points of his output. In The Woman Who Walked Into Doors (1996) and Paula Spencer (2006), the character of Paula – Dubliner, mother, cleaner, alcoholic, domestic abuse survivor – gave us masterpieces of empathy, economy and unexpected humour. You don’t need to have read them to enjoy The Women Behind the Door, though you’ll surely want to once you’ve finished it.

To bring newcomers up to speed, in the first book Paula’s brutal thug of a husband, Charlo, got what he deserved – a frying pan to the head – and was later shot dead by police. (Paula would rather have been a divorcee – “it’s a great word, as sexy as fuck” – than a widow.) In the second, she was struggling to stay off the drink – making the beds all day to keep her mind and hands busy – and raising four children.