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The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce, Paul Torday

Those of us who were delighted by Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, a Richard and Judy summer read, were eagerly awaiting the publication of The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce, by Paul Torday.

In many ways, it lived up to expectation. The rows of bottles and glasses on the cover warned us what to expect. Indeed, Torday’s evocation of the hundreds of thousands of bottles that Wilberforce inherits is tantalising.

The story is almost back to front – but not quite. We begin at the beginning, when Wilberforce, by chance, wanders into Francis Black’s realm – his undercroft, where the wine is stored. We then work backwards in four sections.

The first section, presenting the final years, is a dramatic presentation of a dipsomaniac who can consume several thousand-pounds-worth of treasured classic wine in one day. We have hints that there has been an accident and that he has lost Catherine. We are told, very clearly, that he will not survive his alcoholism. Torday’s ability to chart the thinking of a man dying of an addiction is stunning.

The remaining three sections slowly take us back to Wilberforce’s past when, as an adopted child and mathematical genius, he made a fortune, met his benefactor and fell in love with Catherine. Our sympathy for him and understanding of his plight slowly develops. We begin to understand his desire to be part of the wealthy world he has strayed into. Magic touches, like the first name of Wilberforce, that has been kept secret from us, complete a dramatic picture.

This is a novel for wine lovers – or perhaps a warning!

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