Very good indeed is how I would describe this 1999 Whitbread Best First Novel - gripping dialogue really coming to grips with the mans perspective of life and friendship. Not at all just a "lads" book, but a real and conclusive attempt to get inside the psyche of the modern "bloke". The main character is an estate agent - brash, boastful and not at all pleasant but more than a two-dimensional character, indeed as the story unfolds of his life and those of his "gang" of friends we find a troubled and complex person. Stretching back to his childhood in the late 70's to his teen years in the 80's we get an unfolding storyline about how he and his three friends came to be a group of friends. As he reaches his 30's and the inevitability of settling down looms his links with his friends, tenuous at best, become strained and twenty years of history going back to their schooldays comes flooding out.
Brilliantly detailed descriptive passages of life in the late 80's and early 90's come together with the tightly written narrative of the main characters private thoughts. What he says and what he thinks are often diametrically opposite, he has a relationship with girlfriend who then becomes his fiancée and this is when the cracks appear. He has to re-evaluate his life and his friendships with strange and sometimes bizarre consequences. Its funny too, hilarious in places but it really hits the mark when dealing with the questions of long-term friendships as the people involved mature. Being a friend at school doesn't mean one will be a friend as an adult - people change as they mature, situations change. This is the crux of the story and superbly is it handled too, this coupled with the brilliant contemporary references make this highly engaging to read. Each chapter takes us further into the main characters life, telling the story from one angle then another but building to the larger picture of what makes this character tick. There are twists and turns unexpected in the story that leads us to a finale both surprising and unsurprising at the same time if there is such a thing. Not a "laddish" book more a book for the over 30's struggling with maturity, whatever it is, a superb and worthwhile read it definitely is without a doubt and I recommend it.
Brilliantly detailed descriptive passages of life in the late 80's and early 90's come together with the tightly written narrative of the main characters private thoughts. What he says and what he thinks are often diametrically opposite, he has a relationship with girlfriend who then becomes his fiancée and this is when the cracks appear. He has to re-evaluate his life and his friendships with strange and sometimes bizarre consequences. Its funny too, hilarious in places but it really hits the mark when dealing with the questions of long-term friendships as the people involved mature. Being a friend at school doesn't mean one will be a friend as an adult - people change as they mature, situations change. This is the crux of the story and superbly is it handled too, this coupled with the brilliant contemporary references make this highly engaging to read. Each chapter takes us further into the main characters life, telling the story from one angle then another but building to the larger picture of what makes this character tick. There are twists and turns unexpected in the story that leads us to a finale both surprising and unsurprising at the same time if there is such a thing. Not a "laddish" book more a book for the over 30's struggling with maturity, whatever it is, a superb and worthwhile read it definitely is without a doubt and I recommend it.