This is a silly, impossibly unrealistic tale of a group of idiots who cannot do anything right, including robbing a bank. None of the characters are at all like the faces they present to the world. But it is told with such wry mockery of their incompetence, biting wit, and keen insights into foibles we all share that it is an engaging and fun light read. And the plot has many twists that seem impossible until they suddenly don’t. Some of the author’s comments about behavioural quirks that we all share are quite profound. “When you’re a child, you long to be an adult and decide everything for yourself, but when you’re an adult you realize that’s the worst part of it.”
Like the characters in Tyler Keevil’s No Good Brother, no one here is entirely despicable, and they can all elicit some sympathy. In my estimation, this novel is far better than Blackman’s Beartown, but not as good as his A Man Called Ove, which I loved. Those are the only other books by Blackman that I have read. But this is still a fun light read if you need some diversionary cheering up in the age of Covid.
Thanks, Alana
The Passionate Reader 