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The punctual Paul: A humorous, melancholy novel
Paperback
RomanceClassic FictionLiterary Fiction
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Dec 19 2025
Pages: 116
Weight: 0.32
Height: 0.24 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
A man like clockwork. A woman like a wrong note. And a cat who chooses the sink as her throne.
Paul Albers is punctual. Always. At the newspaper office, in life, in thought. He edits obituaries, corrects spacing down to the millimetre, trusts his pocket watch more than the tram-and believes order is a form of dignity. Until Clara appears. And with her: tiny shifts in the beat. A smile at the wrong moment. An evening that runs just a little too long. A home that suddenly sounds different.
Then Paul falls ill-and the unthinkable happens: his own death notice is printed in the paper. Set in type. Framed. Scheduled. As if his life has already been concluded. While the city keeps moving without him, Paul is forced to face a question he never planned for:
What if punctuality isn't enough to truly live?
The Punctual Paul is a bittersweet, sharply observant novel with a mid-century (1950s/60s) atmosphere-quietly funny, gently melancholic, and unexpectedly tender. It's a story about control and surrender, routine and rupture, and the strange courage it takes to be late for your own life.
Perfect for readers who love:
- Mid-century charm (newsrooms, trams, pocket watches, quiet streets)
- Dry wit and subtle satire without sentimentality
- Stories about order, letting go, and second chances
- A scene-stealing cat named Luise (who communicates mainly through judgmental purring)
A novel about time-and the moment you realize you've planned everything except what matters.
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