Entertaining Strangers

by Jonathan Taylor

Entertaining Strangers is a tragi-comedy about the eccentric Edwin Prince - a depressive intellectual obsessed with high culture and ants - and the mysterious, homeless narrator Jules, who gradually unravels Edwin's impossible relationships with his landlady, neurotic mother, psychotic brother, domineering ex-wife, dead grandfather and, above all, his ant-farm. At the same time, Jules continually experiences traumatic memories full of fire and water, and gradually a terrible pre-history emerges from beneath all of the other stories, which seems somehow to shape both Jules's fiery dreams and Edwin's obsessions - a great fire, massacre and one girl's drowning in Smyrna, 75 years earlier.

Genres: Literary Fiction

312 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2012

Reviews

[Louise Harnby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of hearing the author read excerpts from this book at a book launch in Norwich. I closed my eyes and let the words wash over me. At the end of the event I bought the book without hesitation. The writing is absolutely stunning and I'm looking forward to digging into 'Overheard', his book of stories to be read aloud. Taylor is a master of his craft so do yourself a favour and read this.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining Strangers is the first novel by Jonathan Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at De Montfort University, UK. Taylor has also published a memoir, and writes short stories and poetry.

Entertaining Strangers is narrated by Jules, a young homeless woman who is welcomed into the home of Edwin Prince, an odd, yet eccentric and intelligent man obsessed with ants.

A seemingly (at first) passive character in this novel, Jules innocently and lovingly accepts Edwin's hospitality, and goes on to narrate and recount Edwin's relationships with his landlord, relatives, and ex-wife, all while sharing breakfasts together that consist of nothing but vermouth. Jules becomes fast friends with Edwin, and even attempts to help him collect ants for his ant farm, and rekindle (or smooth out) a few of his relationships.

While Jules stays with Edwin, she repeatedly experiences dream-like sequences (or memories) that involve fire and painful tragedy from seventy-five years ago. By the novel's end, it is evident that Jules, Edwin, and the other characters are all pieces in a giant puzzle - a puzzle not without a slew of symphonic classical music pieces, and, of course, ants.

Entertaining Strangers is probably one of the more creative and original novels I've ever read. It's definitely an intellectual's book: one clever and gigantic allegory full of surprises, and an abundance of intriguing information about ants. Those who read Entertaining Strangers should definitely approach it with patience, as it could be easy to overlook some of this novel's depth otherwise. Taylor also mixes poetry into this book courtesy of Edwin's character, which only heightens the richness of his character.

As an American, I found this book wholly fascinating even without taking the plot into consideration. I was completely arrested while reading about the lives of these quirky characters and their British lifestyles. Who drinks vermouth straight out of the bottle, anyway?

Taylor's smart and eccentric writing style reminds me a bit of Neil Gaiman and a (very light) Chuck Palahniuk. Taylor's inspiration for this novel as told in the Afterword is also most compelling and unique. What an original foundation on which to build a story!

Jonathan Taylor has also published Take Me Home: Parkinson’s, My Father, Myself, and plans to publish a collection of poetry later this year entitled Musicolepsy.

For more book reviews, please visit http://dreamworldbooks.com.

[Corey Bedford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard extracts of Entertaining Strangers last year at the book's launch in Leicester.
I instantly knew that I needed to buy the book, and that I did.
After quite a few months of being about 3 chapters in, I decided to pick it up and give it the reading it deserved, and what a book this is.
The dark humour combined with the abstractness that is Edwin Prince, as well as 1001 ant facts and quotes, it results in an absolutely perfect read, with the only issue being that there weren't more pages of the book so I can keep reading it.
It was brilliantly written, and definitely a book I will read again and again and again, and I know I'll love it more and more with every re-read.

I'd wholeheartedly recommend this book. Please, give it a read.

[Rebecca Sowray dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for simple and generous poetic writing that twists at your heart with precision, repeated structures and phrases that provide security in a harsh and familiar landscape.

Read it for backyards, canals, CDs and music obsessives, family dysfunction and the support of friends. And ants. Read it for a harsh look at what folk are paid to do, happy endings that aren't what they seem.

Read it for this line "I'd sat down for a minute on a dog -piss-soaked doorstep in a dog-piss street in a dog-piss town, when the door I was leaning against gave behind me. ". This is safety. Fabulous.

[Karen Rust · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky and deep. Grimy canals, dog piss soaked streets and oddball characters set amidst daily touchpoints of normality. A wonderfully anarchic read.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

You might think you won’t be stirred by the intricacies of ant-ology in this unusual novel, however, Jonathan Taylor’s powerful writing will have you turning over the pages. His unusual characters, their hazy backgrounds and bizarre experiences with Toasted Leaf-cutters, Lasius Nigers and a mad-cap landlady - will move, entertain, and keep you guessing. Above all is the imaginative use of language and syntax, the musicology – for example, the graduated repetition of certain images, details appearing step by step like ascending/lengthening musical notes. Through the revelations of a passionate myrmecophile, his eccentric pots ‘n’ pans moments, you’ll find yourself listening to Pendereki’s Threnody – and not only that... An original, compelling read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this book was very very strange, which Jonathan Taylor had promised when he came to the 'Waverton Good Read' meeting to talk about it. However, it was enjoyable. The characters although utterly bizarre in many ways were equally easy to relate to in others. I have learnt a lot more about ants, whether this is a good thing is debateable. I also learnt about people and the world in general. It made me look at some things differently. Normally I don't like elements of mystery that I can't explain in a book but who and what Jules was simply made this book all the more fascinating. Definitely worth a read :)

[Thor Kristensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

F...ing brilliant! An open-ended love affair with dysfunctional characters somewhere in England. Edwin, the ant-obsessed, self-loathing, weird main character is simply one of the most lovable anti-heroes, the nondescript, timeless (literally) narrator Jules (who is he? Why is he having dreams of a human catastrophe in Smyrna in 1922?) refuses to leave your mind after you close the book, the fantastical Poet Laureate on the local pub who only communicates through romantic poetry (with a bit of Shakespeare added on ...).

Read!

[Tara Bush · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a bizarre book. The characters kind of gave me the creeps and left me feeling like I needed a shower. I waded through ramblings about ants and apocalyptic music just so I could find out where this book was going. It was an interesting, yet vague ending - I would have preferred to have it better wrapped up for me instead of just lightly alluded to.