I've just finished reading this wonderfully laddish book, and despite being a bit long in the tooth for laddishness, to say nothing of a small matter of gender, I enjoyed it immensely. Perhaps I was influenced by the main character's being (a) a woman and (b) a grandmother (she had her own daughter early, so don't picture grey hair and arthritis). This character, Jane, does the most satisfyingly dreadful things when compelled by the mother lioness bit of all our natures to defend her family - and in so doing escapes a life of extreme hoovering and avoiding making footprints on her wet floor.Whenever I start reading one of Brookmyre's books - and for familial reasons I've actually read all but the most recent which is being saved for a holiday - I feel I can't be bothered. Perhaps it was the piling on of techy detail in the opening chapter which put me off this time, or the tendency to stockpile adjectives - "The blase and cocky figure who was so nonchalantly leaning ..." - but I'm glad I persevered. The story is, as usual, wonderfully filmic, and results in unputdownablity. The dialogue is slick, the Glasgow bits authentic and the violence often extreme. And he does women pretty well, actually - if you like women to play with the big boys.
All fun and games until somebody loses an eye. Indeed.
I wouldn't exactly say she was 'playing with' the big boys. Although you might be correct depending on the sense you were intending - i.e. 'toying with'.
ReplyDeleteExtreme hoovering? Is that like Extreme ironing? I'm very impressed of you spend your spare time doing that!
ReplyDeleteNo, no christine - I spend my time reading and blogging! It's the heroine who was into extreme Hoovering before she was whisked off to be Action Woman ...
ReplyDeleteI think I I've now read three of Brookmyre's books and in each case I've found the transition of the ordinary, everyman character (or in this case everywoman) into gun totting heroes irksome. However, I did stick with them all to the end. I can't say I actively seek him out as an author but if I came across another of his books at a reasonable price in a charity shop... :-)
ReplyDeleteAs for your excuse that you read them for "familial reasons" - I remain unconvinced. That's the excuse I've always used for reading children's books (such as Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series). The problem is, my children are all getting older and soon I'm going to have to admit that I just like reading children's books!
My family are old enough to make me feel childish, David!
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