- McEwan’s always been a master storyteller and his skill is again on show here. He’s also politically astute.
- Unfortunately though, this 100 page novel is in the end a dismal failure. The Kafka-inspired cockroach side of the story is just silly. It's too simple, obvious and literal to be effective satire.
- Jim Sams, the newly installed British PM (Boris obviously), and Brexit feature. Sams applies all his cunning and deceitfulness to get Brexit through parliament (although here it’s called ‘Reversalism’, as compared to our current 'Clockwise' economies). Reversalism turns everything upside down. Citizens pay money to work, and get cash payments from the government when they spend. Companies pay money when they export and receive money when they import.
- It's a truly absurd and ridiculous thesis which has no satirical oomph because it completely misconstrues Brexit and the disruption it would involve.
- There are of course some lovely moments. This is McEwan after all. He captures perfectly the deviousness, treachery and cunning of ruthless politicians - the Cabinet meetings, the press leakages, the constructed fake news, the anti-PM plotters, and others.
-There is also coruscating wit at every turn as he caricatures the dismal, elitist, Conservative Cabinet members - the cockroaches.
- This novel could have been heaps better had McEwan not strayed so far from Boris and Brexit realities.
No comments:
Post a Comment