"Hey Man" celebrates the depth of male friendship through Ian and Tommy's bond over three decades. Witty, heartfelt, and beautifully written—a touching ode to connection and loyalty.

Hey Man by Andrew Meehan is a poignant and uplifting novel that is a coming of age tale that explores friendship, faith, loss.

This was an intimate tale of friendship over the years. Meehan has a unique way with words. I found myself yearning for more of Ian and Tommy’s friendship. In the end, I was satisfied with how the story developed. The book is written in three lengthy parts with interwoven timelines which may confuse the reader at times; however, Meehan’s finds a way to bring the reader back to the overall plot line.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.75 rounded up)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of Hey Man by Andrew Meehan in exchange for an honest review.

Hey Man is a quiet, introspective novel that explores friendship, identity, and the passage of time through the evolving relationship between its two central characters. Spanning decades, it’s very much a character-driven story that leans into reflection rather than plot which I enjoyed a lot. Meehan’s writing is thoughtful and often quite lyrical, with moments that feel genuinely moving. I particularly appreciated how the novel captures distance, memory, and the lingering impact of relationships that never fully resolve. There’s a subtle emotional depth that builds over time.

That said, the pacing did feel slow in places, and I occasionally found it difficult to stay fully engaged. The understated nature of the characters and their relationship, while intentional, sometimes made it harder to feel completely invested. Overall, this is a reflective and well-written novel that I appreciated, even if it didn’t fully resonate with me at every point. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy quieter, character-focused literary fiction.

Hey Man really surprised me in a quiet, sneaky way.

This is very much a character-driven story about male friendship, memory, and the kind of connection that lingers for decades. The writing is genuinely beautiful at times—there are lines that just hit and make you pause. I loved the idea of Ian and Tommy’s relationship and how it evolves (and doesn’t fully resolve). There’s something very real about the ambiguity and emotional undercurrent running through the whole book. That said, it’s definitely slow and leans heavily on reflection over plot. I found myself drifting a bit in parts, even though I appreciated what the author was doing.

Overall, not a loud or dramatic read, but one that quietly builds and stays with you.

Hey Man at it's core, is a ponderous journey through thirty years of male friendship. Opening in 1989, Ian travels from Dublin to London to attend medical school. Staying with the enigmatic Tommy, an actor, their friendship develops. Through the thirty years, split into three distinct time bands, their lives diverge and rejoin repeatedly. This story looks into brotherhood, friendship and how two entirely different people can find an enduring bond.

As a story, Hey Man definitely gave me pause for thought and reflection on the events described. Meehan uses metaphor and careful descriptive writing proficiently to paint a detailed and emotional image of the scenes portrayed. The descriptions surrounding Tommy are elegant and evolving as the novel progresses, with the image of this larger than life character gaining more clarity and detail with the passage of time. This corresponds to Ian, the point of view, and his increasing knowledge combined with his changing views on the world around him.

Stylistically however, I truly struggled. At times, the author seems to take a deliberately ethereal style of language, dusting around the fringes of what he wants to say, without ever truly conveying the message. Unfortunately, the adage of "show, don't tell" does not really help here as the dialogue, particularly early in the novel, is staccato and fragmented, making it incredibly difficult to follow. This necessitates multiple reads of the same sections, losing the immersion really required to appreciate this novel fully.

I was dragged out of the story very early on with a clumsy reference to Britney Spears. The time band for this reference was 1989, a good few years before Britney made her first professional appearance.

Hey Man tries it's hardest to straddle a few genres. While this effort is not entirely successful, Meehan delivers a perfectly functional and reflective coming of age heroes journey. The friendship between the characters is realistic and believable, taking the rough and the smooth well and conveying the characters emotions to the reader. Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book, especially once the author found their stride and the voices became a little more refined.

Thank You NetGallery for the ARC read.

Hey Man is a quiet and soft story that takes you on a journey through a lives friendship between Ian and Tommy. Two unlikely friends who span decades of a complicated and often intense friendship that doesn't quite explain itself so easily. But oh man does their story make you feel for their journeys and unique story.

One if a famous actor (Tommy) while the other is a monk (Ian). A peculiar duo if I might say but one that works when you understand Ian and his deep feelings and thinking that at times he can't quite understand himself.

I loved the character of Tommy because in his chaotic and loud nature he truly had many moments of quiet contemplation, of pure love for Ian. There's a scene where he goes to the monastery which is my favorite. Endearing I would say, their bond and friendship, is endearing. In a wild but also reserved way.

I truly enjoyed Andrew Meehans' writing, it is lush, lyrical and quite profound at moments. I leave you with two of my favorite quotes:

"It is normal to become attached to friends, it's normal to miss them when they go. Even when they're there, sometimes you fall behind, or they forget about you for a while, but you catch up with them or they come back to you." - Ian

"I am comfortable with feelings I can't name, but there is one I can't let go of, and it was attached to her smell: a person's skin, lovely and clean, and that was as far as I went, cause that is as far as I ever go. And I thought, if I'm ever to be with someone, will they see how inadequate I am? If I am ever to be with someone, will they see how scared I am? - Ian

“If all that follows reads like a love story, that’s what it was.”

Hey Man is a stunning exploration of an unlikely friendship between two men: one an actor, the other a monk. The story follows Tommy and Ian over thirty years, moving between Scotland, London, and Dublin. Across shifting lives, relationships, and the comings and goings of wives and lovers, we watch them drift apart and come back together. Through it all, one bond quietly endures above everything else: their connection to each other.

This book felt like a warm hug. I’d highly recommend to lovers of Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan.

A tender and reflective novel about friendship, love and longing, written with quiet emotional honesty and understated beauty. Its exploration of male friendship is subtle and affecting, though the slow pacing and introspective style occasionally dull the emotional impact. Thoughtful and moving overall.

In Hey Man, Andrew Meehan delivers a soulful, decades-spanning meditation on the profound mysteries of male friendship. The story follows the evolving bond between Ian, a Dubliner who becomes a Benedictine monk, and Tommy, a charismatic actor. From their first meeting in a 1989 London lodging house to a poignant reunion thirty years later, Meehan explores the "ache of something unfinished."

The prose is both stylish and deeply moving, capturing the quiet friction between devotion and fame. With a blend of humor and devastation, Meehan examines how we haunt one another's lives and what remains when the spotlight finally fades

This is a story about a unique friendship—unique because the two people involved are direct opposites of each other. The book is filled with dialogue and spans a long period of time, but honestly, it lost me very quickly. I found the book confusing and, at times, wasn’t sure what I was reading, so I DNF’d it at 40%. However, I think it’s a me thing, not the book’s fault. Give it a try—you might like it.

I found Hey Man to be a quiet and moving read. It’s a very thoughtful story about friendship, connection and the way certain people shape your life over time. There’s something very tender running through it, even in the moments where not much is being said outright.
The writing feels very intimate with an occasionally quality that's very engrossing. A lovely reflection on relationships and how they can drift, deepen, change and still remain important.

This felt very much like being inside someone’s head in the most unfiltered, slightly uncomfortable way.

The narrative voice is so specific—kind of rambling, hyper-aware, occasionally spiraling—that it almost feels like you’re reading someone’s internal monologue rather than a traditional story. There are moments where nothing “big” is happening plot-wise, but the tension comes from how the narrator interprets everything around him.

There’s a scene that stuck with me where a completely normal interaction starts to unravel because of overthinking, and it becomes clear how unreliable his perspective might be. You’re constantly questioning what’s real versus what’s projection.

Not a fast-paced read, but if you like introspective, slightly claustrophobic storytelling, this one does something interesting.