Although I was fortunate enough to be asked to contribute towards the sleeve notes, I felt it was important for me to write a slightly more extensive review of this extremely engaging and readable debut novel.
Modern thinking is that you need to have a strict plot running through a book to make it interesting, readable and worthwhile. I don’t agree with this, and this book proves my point. Not only does it read so well it is a brilliant page turner, but it also portrays a great number of universal truths about daily life, about the mundanity of daily existence, that make it more than just a quick read. It has something in it for the reader to carry away with him/her when the book is finished.
The twist at the end leaves the reader wanting more, which I think is a good thing. Really good books leave the reader felling bereft, and that’s how I felt when I reached the end.
Couched in simple language, this story leads the reader through the full gamut of emotions, from hilarious incredulity through to the depths of despair. This is what makes it such a good a worthwhile (and quick) read. Entertaining from start to finish, it isn’t as superficial as many chick lit books, and the serious undertone of it makes me feel that the blurb describing it as a black comedy does it a slight injustice. This is a satire as well as contemplative narrative which will enrich the reader.