This the fourth of this British novelist’s books that I have read and not his best in my opinion. Certain themes seem to dominate all of these books, especially poetry and problematic sexual trysts.
This one is divided into two parts. The longer Part One in twenty-one chapters is set mostly in 2121 , where an adored long poem by the famous but fictional Francis Blundy called Corona for Vivien, dedicated to his wife is sought by academics and is said to be « the most precious document in the world ». Most of the documentation is of what has happened to the world in the preceding 100 years, including an Inundation, several nuclear wars, and a takeover of America by Nigeria. The population has decreased to four billion. Britain has become a series of islands. AI has become a national resource with limited access. One theory of the missing document is that somehow the fossil fuel industry paid for and destroyed the only copy because of it’s content. But the stress of caring for a demented husband has not dissapeared and is described in exquisite detail.
Part 2 with no paragraph breaks is set in the present time and narrated by Vivien, as she further expands on caring for her demented husband (not Francis). She is obsessed with sex and documents that the adored Francis is actually a self-centered sexual addict and criminal willing to do anything to satisfy his desires. Both characters seem to regard marriage vows as mere suggestions.
The whole premise of this novel is weak and the result is a dissapppointing dystopian futuristic story.
2.2/5
The Passionate Reader 