David Abbott’s novel
I’m reading it right now, 100 pages in.
And I’m very, very impressed.
From the perspective of someone who knows Mr. A’s work like the back of my hand (his Chivas Regal ‘Because’ ad has been hanging in my bathroom for years), has worked for him for a scant-but-amazing six months, and has written a novel of my own, I have to say that I think it’s a brilliant achievement.
It’s taken me a while to read it because most people I asked about it seemed somewhat lukewarm.
Then my mum gave me a copy last week and I haven’t put it down since.
It’s kind of Ian MacEwan-esque but with more elegance (at least compared to Saturday and Solar) and less flab.
It seems to have taken him a decade from retirement (if I recall correctly, he stopped working specifically to write it) to publication, and, somewhat depressingly, it shows. It seems like every sentence, every word had been chosen with painstaking care to be just right. Is that how long it takes a great writer to do that? Fuck. No wonder my airport novel only took a few years.
Anyway, grab a copy today and sink into it like a warm bath in which you occasionally find a piranha.
Two Ts in ‘Abbott’, Ben.
Oops.
Memo to self: do not blog while pissed.
Don’t feel too bad, Ben – it took Joseph Heller nearly ten years to write Catch 22.
What’s it called Ben?
Ben,
What do you imagine Mr A. might make of your own recent opus?
John: The Upright Piano Player (sorry, the ‘it’ is hyperlinked at the start of the post, but it’s small).
McKevin: I don’t think it would be his cup of tea but the gore and swearing might win him over.
re john S ‘what’s it called?” question
what kind of question is that when you could just google the fucking answer in less time than leaving a comment? are you a planner?
Just found this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdXuSNES94E
very funny. of course he overcooked it. his life didn’t depend on it. you can’t buy that.