Mutants

by Peter Van Greenaway

A top secret pharmaceutical experiment accidentally results in the escape of some mutant mice, which overrun and destroy a local village

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Peter Van Greenaway was a British novelist, the author of numerous thrillers with elements of horror and satire.

Reviews

[Side Real Press · Rating 1 out of 5]

If anyone remembers van Greenaway nowadays it might be for his novel (or rather the film of the novel) 'The Medusa Touch'. My interest was raised in him when I met someone researching his life who told me some curious anecdotes (he sounds like an odd character) and thus made me think I should check him out.

'Mutants' is his penultimate novel and I am not spoiling the plot when I say that it concerns the discovery of fast breeding, omnivorous mice (some the size of rabbits!) with opposable thumbs and the ability to plan. It's not looking too good for the human race!

However, this frankly laughable idea (I've seen 'Night of the Lepus') is really just the basis for Greenaway to explore the universal themes of scientific egotism, arrogance and accountability together with the influence of 'big brother', and after a while the mice element of the narrative recedes (or at least becomes more acceptable) as we read extracts from Governmental enquiries into the affair and the narrators wife begins to piece together what has been happening.

Greenaway handles these themes quite well (it appears as if these are major concerns of his work) and although I am not really a 'thriller' reader the plot twists about quite pleasantly.

But! Only one star! Well, Greenaway has a extremely annoying stylistic habit of placing adverbs at the end of dialogue, rather like a play in reverse.

In a play one would place these before the text ie:
Character A: (sharply) 'Including you?'

but Greenaway does the opposite, ie:

'Including you?' sharply,
'And here you are,' pointedly. (Etc.)

It doesnt occur in every dialogue, but often enough to really (really!) irritate me, and much as I did enjoy Greenaways bleak and pessimistic view of the human race, this quirk in his style seriously spoiled the book overall; otherwise it would have got an easy 2 or, if I felt generous, 3 stars from me.

I think Greenaway is an interesting writer and I like the idea of reading more by him, but the reality is that I'll be checking his dialogue before I do and if its mutant I'll give it a miss.

[Meg]

A national crisis caused by mutant mice! I have to find and read this nook!