MADreads

From across the pond

June 21st, 2006 Katharine - Sequoya

I always love to know what writers are reading, so I often check out their websites for recommendations.  I enjoyed local writer Dean Bakopoulos’ Please Don’t Come Back from the Moon and recently read one of the titles he suggests Utterly Monkey by Nick Laird. Nick Laird is an Irish writer who happens to be married to another up and coming young writer, Zadie Smith. I wonder if they have separate office and who does the laundry? This isn’t Laird’s first attempt at writing, he is also a published poet and essayist. His novel describes a few weeks in the life of a young Irishman Danny that is living in London working hundreds of hours as a corporate lawyer. Life gets crazy for this Irish lad when an old school chum, Geordie shows up with a suitcase filled with cash. The story centers around the origin of the money and the ongoing Catholic/Protestant conflict that has shaped the lives of these men and their families. Much like Nick Hornby’s lad lit tales, this book is a humorous look at another culture’s twenty-something lifestyle. If you don’t know British slang very well, you will know some fun new phrases by the end of the book. So clear off, get some crisps and enjoy this instead of watching the telly!

Entry Filed under: Recreational Fiction