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A review by erin_lawless
Noughties by Ben Masters
2.0
[An advance copy of this book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review].
2.5 stars rounded down.
‘Noughties’ follows our hapless hero Eliot on his last night at University, flashing back to fill in the backgrounds of his friends and associates.
I have to admit, I did not enjoy reading this novel. It has all the ick-factor of watching an episode of ‘The Inbetweeners’ without any of the charm and humour; in fact - as great big swathes of dialogue were unashamedly pilfered from ‘The Inbetweeners’ - I think it’s an apt comparison. One quarter of the way in I had already grown bored of wanks, erections, testicles – I know they’re important things to a man, but I was looking for a little more heart, a little less penis and I think this could have been accomplished without affecting the ‘laddish grittiness’ that the author was clearly aiming for.
The characters – especially Eliot – were odious, their dilemmas and traumas boring and the ‘twists’ I could see coming a mile off.
The 2.5 stars are a reflection of the clever structure, sometimes running several ‘timelines’ at once and the occasional expositional paragraph that made me think – and the sporadic inclusion of points about his actual degree that - as I am also an English graduate of around the same time frame – made me smile.
Not recommended…
2.5 stars rounded down.
‘Noughties’ follows our hapless hero Eliot on his last night at University, flashing back to fill in the backgrounds of his friends and associates.
I have to admit, I did not enjoy reading this novel. It has all the ick-factor of watching an episode of ‘The Inbetweeners’ without any of the charm and humour; in fact - as great big swathes of dialogue were unashamedly pilfered from ‘The Inbetweeners’ - I think it’s an apt comparison. One quarter of the way in I had already grown bored of wanks, erections, testicles – I know they’re important things to a man, but I was looking for a little more heart, a little less penis and I think this could have been accomplished without affecting the ‘laddish grittiness’ that the author was clearly aiming for.
The characters – especially Eliot – were odious, their dilemmas and traumas boring and the ‘twists’ I could see coming a mile off.
The 2.5 stars are a reflection of the clever structure, sometimes running several ‘timelines’ at once and the occasional expositional paragraph that made me think – and the sporadic inclusion of points about his actual degree that - as I am also an English graduate of around the same time frame – made me smile.
Not recommended…