Books Reviews
DEBUT FICTION NED BEAUMAN Boxer Beetle (Sceptre) ●●●●●
Not one for the easily shocked, young scribe Ned Beauman subjects the reader to a parade of ghoulish events and ghastly theories throughout his dazzling first novel Boxer Beetle. Admittedly it’s hard work at first, as we’re introduced to a plethora of rather unsavoury characters and whizzed back and forth through time. The present-day tale is narrated by dweeby Nazi memorabilia collector Kevin ‘Fishy’ Broom – his nickname stemming from a bad body-odour problem – and then taken up in the 1930s by virile young Jewish boxer Seth ‘Sinner’ Roach and the socially awkward fascist toff Doctor Erskine who wants to experiment on him. Links are soon made between the three, and although it’s incredibly
modern, the book is jam-packed with historical references and paragraphs laden with complex theories on politics, science, religion and wince-worthy instances of repressed sexuality. Plus there are beetles. Lots of them. Gritty, intricate plot aside, it’s the way Beauman writes characters that is the most impressive here, as his main men are compellingly tragic, gifted yet incredibly misguided, and all dreaming of achieving greatness; yet Boxer Beetle is ultimately a tale of failure and sad lives half-lived.
It’s this clever mix coupled with Beauman’s darkly funny depictions and sharp way with words that save this debut novel from ever becoming overly harrowing despite its frequent squeamish encounters. Clearly deeply researched and punchily written, this is an utterly unique work that marks the London-based author out as an exciting new voice in fiction. (Camilla Pia)
COMEDY SCRIPTS STEWART LEE How I Escaped My Certain Fate (Faber) ●●●●● Like Ezra Pound’s notes on The Waste Land if they’d been more cutting, self-critical and in awe of Johnny Vegas, Stewart Lee here transcribes and annotates the three stand-up shows that brought him back from disillusioned retirement in 2001 to his position as one of the UK’s most revered struggling comedians. From conception through to reception, Lee traces the development of each show, (two of which were recorded at The Stand in Glasgow), acknowledges debts to comics such as Simon
Deaths of a Stand-Up Comedian’), Lee’s footnotes serve as wry toppers to his original routines, their knowing, brutal honesty permitting him to settle a few scores and brazenly insult friend and foe alike. Exceptionally funny and insightful. (Jay Richardson) SATIRICAL TALE SIMON RICH Elliot Allagash (Serpent’s Tail) ●●●●●
As the debut novel from Saturday Night Live’s youngest ever writer, Elliot Allagash fulfils expectations. A hilariously satiric novel peppered with innovative anecdotes, the narrative may be simple but the comedy
Munnery, Greg Fleet and his old partner Richard Herring, while guiding the reader line-by-line through the intricacies of describing to an audience the act of vomiting into the gaping anus of Christ.
Taking comedy seriously but himself rather less so (it’s subtitled ‘The Life and
34 THE LIST 22 Jul–5 Aug 2010
is fast-paced and enthralling. The basis for the book is the typical and much overdone teenage transformation story; in this case, the eponymous Elliot Allagash decides to turn the ‘loser’ of the class into the most popular guy in high school.
The main plot structure may be pretty predictable but that’s the point; what’s new about Simon Rich’s novel is the original way in which he parodies the classic story, allowing the reader to focus on the laugh-out-loud irony portrayed through the central characters. While many find it difficult to translate their comedy from the stage to the page, Simon Rich demonstrates that not only is he capable of doing so, he’s good at it too. (Emma Langman)
GOTHIC TALE MAILE CHAPMAN Your Presence is Requested at Suvanto (Jonathan Cape) ●●●●●
Crackling with a fitful nervous energy, Maile Chapman’s novel is the arrestingly titled Your Presence is Requested at Suvanto. It concerns a convalescent hospital set among Finnish pinewoods in the 1920s, harbouring women with intimate ailments, both real and sometimes feverishly imagined. Head nurse Sunny Taylor is coolly professional, having locked and left her own dark memories in the US for a new life in Scandinavia. The sullen arrival of Julia Dey, an exasperating and ageing ex-ballroom dance instructor who creates an unsettling dynamic between herself and everyone she encounters, heralds cataclysm across
the hospital.
The sky, the weather and nature complement the torpid sense of boredom within, as ‘routine turns like a wheel.’ Sharply observed and functional statements help to build up an unsettling narrative, evoking a keen timbre of isolation, claustrophobia and bodily unease. Your Presence . . . is a heady concoction of the Gothic and thrilling which combusts with startling, and compelling, consequences. (Peggy Hughes)
COMIC GILBERT SHELTON Not Quite Dead: Last Gig in Shnagrlig (Knockabout) ●●●●●
Gilbert Shelton will always be most famous for his irreverent take on hippie culture as beloved by stoners across the world in his Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers strips and its off-shoot, Fat Freddy’s Cat. And among his other achievements – such as Wonder Wart- Hog and cover art for the Grateful Dead – there’s his ongoing adventures of Not Quite Dead, ‘the world’s least famous rock band’, who head out on their first world tour in this sixth installment of a distinctly unfabulous career.
Being Shelton, the book sticks to its underground comix roots with a despicable plot by the US to use the band as a spurious
ALSO PUBLISHED
5 HISTORY BOOKS Catherine Arnold City of Sin Subtitled ‘London and its Vices’, this is the concluding part of a trilogy that has investigated the English capital’s seamier side, peeking at the bathhouses of Roman Londinium to the sexual underground of the 20th century. Simon & Schuster. Robin Fleming Britain After Rome This one has the catchy subtitle of ‘The Fall and Rise from 400–1070’ and looks at how the invading Vikings, Saxons and Angles created a resilient and civilised Britain. Allen Lane.
Richard A Billows Marathon Here’s another one with a subtitle, this time, ‘How One Battle Changed Western Civilization’ as we raise a glass to the 2500th anniversary of the scrap between 10,000 Athenians against 25,000 Persians. Duckworth. Toby Wilkinson The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt The subtitle-free tome, which is a comprehensive, illustrated history focusing on the dark side of the Pharaohs and some harsh political realities. Bloomsbury.
Michael Smith Six And back to subtitles, where this one quite simply takes the biscuit: ‘The Real James Bonds. Part 1: The History of Britain’s Most Secret Service 1909-1939’. Say no more. Biteback.
excuse to invade a supposedly oil-rich nation. Of course, the bumbling members of NQD are oblivious to their part in this planned military coup. It’s pretty funny, taking pot shots at religious fanatics and American foreign policy, but if ultimately it feels fairly slight, Shelton’s art is always amusing. (Henry Northmore)