S.C. Skillman's Reviews > No Idea
No Idea
by
by
What a curious mixture of genres this book is. I enjoyed the writing which was extremely good. The first few chapters are a gritty ultra-realistic portrayal of a group of young people living in squalor and self-inflicted deprivation in a London flat; beautifully described and very funny. But I did feel it was a little long-drawn-out. After the first couple of chapters I got the picture that Rob, the MC, was depressed, mired in a sense of failure, regret, and low self-esteem, and being exploited by his flatmates who were all living life on a pretty low level. I was ready to move on with the story at that point. When the author does start to develop a plot, it's exciting, ingenious and fast-moving, as Rob sets out on a quest involving his Russian neighbour and her supposedly lost grandson. Then, later, several confused identities and true agendas are unravelled and the story moves on into a romance, followed by a rather idealised travelogue, and finally the resolution of an earlier source of angst about Rob's family relationships and writing career. I felt the structure of the novel lacked cohesion. Nevertheless it was intriguing, held me captive to the end, and worthy of 4 stars.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
May 22, 2017
– Shelved