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Burning Down George Orwell's House
A darkly comic debut novel about advertising, truth, single malt, Scottish hospitality—or lack thereof—and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Ray Welter, who was until recently a highflying advertising executive in Chicago, has left the world of newspeak behind. He decamps to the isolated Scottish Isle of Jura in order to spend a few months in the cottage where George Orwell wrote most of his seminal novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Ray is miserable, and quite prepared to make his troubles go away with the help of copious quantities of excellent scotch.
But a few of the local islanders take a decidedly shallow view of a foreigner coming to visit in order to sort himself out, and Ray quickly finds himself having to deal with not only his own issues but also a community whose eccentricities are at times amusing and at others downright dangerous. Also, the locals believe—or claim to believe—that there’s a werewolf about, and against his better judgment, Ray’s misadventures build to the night of a traditional, boozy werewolf hunt on the Isle of Jura on the summer solstice.
Ray Welter, who was until recently a highflying advertising executive in Chicago, has left the world of newspeak behind. He decamps to the isolated Scottish Isle of Jura in order to spend a few months in the cottage where George Orwell wrote most of his seminal novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Ray is miserable, and quite prepared to make his troubles go away with the help of copious quantities of excellent scotch.
But a few of the local islanders take a decidedly shallow view of a foreigner coming to visit in order to sort himself out, and Ray quickly finds himself having to deal with not only his own issues but also a community whose eccentricities are at times amusing and at others downright dangerous. Also, the locals believe—or claim to believe—that there’s a werewolf about, and against his better judgment, Ray’s misadventures build to the night of a traditional, boozy werewolf hunt on the Isle of Jura on the summer solstice.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published May 5, 2015
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1055 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews
January 5, 2016
An enjoyably peculiar exploration of questions about integrity and belief -- juggles real-deal whiskey, a real-deal talented painter, a real-deal masterpiece by a man who wrote under another name, marital deceit, a menacing cryptozoological presence (no way the hairy guy who claims he's a werewolf is really a werewolf, right?), and an elaborate and ingenious yet ultimately really evil advertising campaign. Lots of well-observed moments (Molly's bare legs), some philosophical ideation (down with dualities, long live natural complexity!), and a general vibe of good-naturedness (despite a despicable character or two and a few unfortunate/ouchie events) made this more than a tale of a sad sack man trying to change his life by changing his scene. The first half of the backstory bits (the Oil Hogg stuff) really jumps off the page. The conclusion reminded me of that line in "Losing My Edge" by LCD Soundsystem: "I hear you're buying a synthesizer and an arpeggiator and are throwing your computer out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Yaz record." Or one of those Portlandia skits about authentic work. Definitely worth a look, along with the author's first one, Extraordinary Renditions.
July 17, 2022
I liked some parts of the book more than others. The setting and some of the characters was very interesting although the story felt rather flat for me. But as the same time the audiobook was quite easy getting invested in so it had some compelling elements to it
January 6, 2016
So, I "read" this book as a digital audiobook from my local library. I am sad that it is taking up precious space in the nearly infinite cloud because it doesn't deserve any. We've gotten this story handed to us a million, billion times before. This story is the Western canon, only much less well done. It is trite. Man becomes disillusioned with society, goes off to find himself, discovers you can't escape yourself, comes home a changed man. It's not a bad *story* exactly, it's just that we've all read it before. Many, many times. And much better written. Although I will say that his descriptions of Scotch were quite lovely and, had I been reading a book about Scotch, I would have given it an A+. Unfortunately, I was instead reading a book about a whiny, self-absorbed prick whose attitude was consistently poor and had a "why does the world hate me?" approach to everything. Perhaps the world hates you because you have nothing whatsoever to offer it in terms of personality or even the slightest consideration of other people. Ray doesn't go home for his father's funeral, doesn't help his sister take care of their ailing mother (I'm fairly certain he doesn't even send money even though he's supposedly loaded because he is, of course, a marketing *genius*, far above those other proles [if I heard that word one more time, I was going to just stop hate reading and rinse my earholes with acid]), and has the audacity to think that his sister is the lucky one because she "believes in the divinity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and enjoys the network sitcoms". Are you shitting me, Ray? You're an asshole. An absolute asshole. Oh, and by the way? That's all you'll learn about his sister because women are nothing but props and pitfalls in this man's journey. By the time we made it through Ray's marriage up to his divorce, I knew more about the villain's aging truck than I knew about Ray's wife. And don't you worry, folks, he manages to fit a Manic Pixie Dream Girl in there too, even though she could be completely removed from the story and replaced with a particularly well-written leaflet on environmentalism.
Alternate Titles:
Burning Down George Orwell's House Because I'm a Raging Alcoholic
Women Are Mirrors, Not People
The Wolf Doesn't Eat Him, No Matter How Many Times You Hope It Does
Symbolism is Hard, Y'all, But Everything is a Symbol for My Penis
Why Are People Rude to Me Just Because I Openly Judge and Condemn Everything About Them
You Backasswards Scots Should Appreciate My Sophisticated American Self Even Though I'm Wrong About Everything
Mmm, Scotch
Alternate Titles:
Burning Down George Orwell's House Because I'm a Raging Alcoholic
Women Are Mirrors, Not People
The Wolf Doesn't Eat Him, No Matter How Many Times You Hope It Does
Symbolism is Hard, Y'all, But Everything is a Symbol for My Penis
Why Are People Rude to Me Just Because I Openly Judge and Condemn Everything About Them
You Backasswards Scots Should Appreciate My Sophisticated American Self Even Though I'm Wrong About Everything
Mmm, Scotch
December 28, 2014
This book tries to do many things - it has a hint of dystopia, not very fleshed out. It is somewhat biographical about Orwell, but only to explain why the main character ends up on the Isle of Jura. It talks a bit about advertising and tries to connect it to Orwell's 1984. Written differently, I think the advertising guy fleeing to the Hebrides could have been a compelling story except...
This is a book about whiskey. The author talks more about whiskey - the different varieties, how they taste and smell, oh the peat, oh the caramel - than any of the rest of those topics combined. I think he should consider writing a "Whiskey of the Hebrides" book since that seems to be the true fascination. It watered down (har har) the rest of the novel.
This is a book about whiskey. The author talks more about whiskey - the different varieties, how they taste and smell, oh the peat, oh the caramel - than any of the rest of those topics combined. I think he should consider writing a "Whiskey of the Hebrides" book since that seems to be the true fascination. It watered down (har har) the rest of the novel.
May 5, 2015
I think everyone has held the “cottage by the sea” dream aloft in our imagination, thinking at times it to be the ideal solution for when life gets messy or our decisions turn out to be disasters. I can see my cottage so clearly that I wonder where I saw it; what gave me the definite image of the white shutters on the gray siding, the crisp brick chimney placed just so? Climbing roses tumbling down around a small fence, with the ubiquitous Adirondack chair (painted bright turquoise) facing a lovely calm bay? Was it described in a book? A dubious Hallmark movie?
Or, maybe… was it in an advertisement? Someone selling paint? Easy-Gro plants? Detergent? You may find yourself questioning the origin of your dream cottage (admit it…you have one, if not by the sea, by a lake) when you get submerged in Andrew Ervin’s new novel, Burning Down George Orwell’s House.
Sure, we know that such a fantasy, were it to happen, would be full of inconveniences. It would be completely worth going without electricity, internet, and Amazon just to be able to think and get away from other humans. And this is the plan that Ray Welter makes a reality when he heads to the island of Jura, just off the Scottish mainland, fleeing both a failing marriage and a dubious job decision as an advertising executive at the cutting-edge firm, Logos. Cutting off all ties to his life, he packs a few books and sets out to find the time and space to think.
“Ray wanted to know again, to be able to delineate right and wrong in an un-deconstructed world of certainty. He wanted to feel the security of binary opposition. Good and bad.”
To be sure, Ray’s cottage is far different from ours in its providence: it was once the home of George Orwell, writer of one of the most readable books on the required reading list of any high school. I studied 1984 in 1984, and everyone in our age bracket immediately understood the significance of Doublespeak and Big Brother. It seemed extreme, but possible. In the thirty years since, it isn’t inevitable, it simply is.
Getting a cold and bumpy start, Welter finds that many inconveniences are eased by drinking whisky and napping. Lots of whisky. In fact, it appears to be the only thing that keeps Jura functional, and the good stuff is distilled right on the island. The rain is endless, and the few residents he meets are an odd and cantankerous bunch that makes me fear Gerard Butler may be as bizarre and scary as them. That thought alone would garner a dram of whisky.
While intending to study Orwell and get a sense of what inspired his most original and frightening vision of the future, Welter offends nearly everyone in his journey, until he’s finally alone at the cottage (more like a palace but I’ve committed to a cottage). And then, with the dream a complete reality, and the nasty world behind him, and the cottage fire going, Welter is surprised to find himself a bit lost, maybe even bored. Having time to think may not be in his best interests:
“As long as Ray could remember, since he was a little kid running amok in the endless rows of corn, his mind had contained partitioned rooms he knew not to enter; in them were countless self-perceptions better left un-thought about and which generated moods that later in life –particularly after his career at Logos took off – his personal safety required him to avoid. But left by himself for days on end, half-dozing next to a dying fire, with the large amounts of whisky unable to fight off the constant din of the rain, he couldn’t help himself from picking open those locks and peering inside.”
Strange parallels of his life twist into irony that is Orwellian. The first week there, he feels watched, as if every movement is being observed by a nefarious unknown. And while he wanted to observe that gorgeous and refreshing seascape, the rain blots out any vision: he’s blind to what he’s looking for. Death pays a visit too, as he’s being gifted with disemboweled animals on his porch, attributed quite simply to one of the islander’s being a werewolf.
As werewolves go, this one is pretty wise. He tells Welter, “remember that the difference between myth and reality isn’t quite as distinct here on Jura as you might believe.” This dichotomy plays out in both the scenery and his interactions with the island’s residents in scenes that are often tense but sometimes very funny.
Welter’s study of Orwell is distracted by an abused young woman (of the jailbait variety) and her villainous father who hates all intruders into what he considers the old and traditional life Jura holds (tourists be damned). Change is feared by all on the island, but Welter comes with the mindset of an advertiser, where change is encouraged and necessary to remain profitable, and thus to exist. Strange neighbors, endless sheep, torture by bagpipe, and the arduous terrain keeps him from ever finding a comfort zone, and this is probably the point that Ervin is directing us towards.
This is most telling in a particularly revelatory tour of the Jura distillery, where Welter learns that the process of aging whiskey to perfection has a distinct subtext of living life to the full, in the present:
“The size of the cask and the location, that’s how every malt gets its distinct flavors. And from the geographical location of the distillery and the tiniest variations of coastline and altitude too.”
Whiskey as metaphor. Of course. The collision between stasis and change form a battle that goes beyond the novel. It reels in Welter’s reflections from his time on Jura to his pre-Jura meltdown, even to the times of his childhood where Ervin sneaks in some tiny details that are revealing later. It extends across economic, geographic, and family connections and surprises with an unexpected lightness rather than despondence.
Releases today, May 5, 2015.
Special thanks to Soho Books for the Review Copy.
Or, maybe… was it in an advertisement? Someone selling paint? Easy-Gro plants? Detergent? You may find yourself questioning the origin of your dream cottage (admit it…you have one, if not by the sea, by a lake) when you get submerged in Andrew Ervin’s new novel, Burning Down George Orwell’s House.
Sure, we know that such a fantasy, were it to happen, would be full of inconveniences. It would be completely worth going without electricity, internet, and Amazon just to be able to think and get away from other humans. And this is the plan that Ray Welter makes a reality when he heads to the island of Jura, just off the Scottish mainland, fleeing both a failing marriage and a dubious job decision as an advertising executive at the cutting-edge firm, Logos. Cutting off all ties to his life, he packs a few books and sets out to find the time and space to think.
“Ray wanted to know again, to be able to delineate right and wrong in an un-deconstructed world of certainty. He wanted to feel the security of binary opposition. Good and bad.”
To be sure, Ray’s cottage is far different from ours in its providence: it was once the home of George Orwell, writer of one of the most readable books on the required reading list of any high school. I studied 1984 in 1984, and everyone in our age bracket immediately understood the significance of Doublespeak and Big Brother. It seemed extreme, but possible. In the thirty years since, it isn’t inevitable, it simply is.
Getting a cold and bumpy start, Welter finds that many inconveniences are eased by drinking whisky and napping. Lots of whisky. In fact, it appears to be the only thing that keeps Jura functional, and the good stuff is distilled right on the island. The rain is endless, and the few residents he meets are an odd and cantankerous bunch that makes me fear Gerard Butler may be as bizarre and scary as them. That thought alone would garner a dram of whisky.
While intending to study Orwell and get a sense of what inspired his most original and frightening vision of the future, Welter offends nearly everyone in his journey, until he’s finally alone at the cottage (more like a palace but I’ve committed to a cottage). And then, with the dream a complete reality, and the nasty world behind him, and the cottage fire going, Welter is surprised to find himself a bit lost, maybe even bored. Having time to think may not be in his best interests:
“As long as Ray could remember, since he was a little kid running amok in the endless rows of corn, his mind had contained partitioned rooms he knew not to enter; in them were countless self-perceptions better left un-thought about and which generated moods that later in life –particularly after his career at Logos took off – his personal safety required him to avoid. But left by himself for days on end, half-dozing next to a dying fire, with the large amounts of whisky unable to fight off the constant din of the rain, he couldn’t help himself from picking open those locks and peering inside.”
Strange parallels of his life twist into irony that is Orwellian. The first week there, he feels watched, as if every movement is being observed by a nefarious unknown. And while he wanted to observe that gorgeous and refreshing seascape, the rain blots out any vision: he’s blind to what he’s looking for. Death pays a visit too, as he’s being gifted with disemboweled animals on his porch, attributed quite simply to one of the islander’s being a werewolf.
As werewolves go, this one is pretty wise. He tells Welter, “remember that the difference between myth and reality isn’t quite as distinct here on Jura as you might believe.” This dichotomy plays out in both the scenery and his interactions with the island’s residents in scenes that are often tense but sometimes very funny.
Welter’s study of Orwell is distracted by an abused young woman (of the jailbait variety) and her villainous father who hates all intruders into what he considers the old and traditional life Jura holds (tourists be damned). Change is feared by all on the island, but Welter comes with the mindset of an advertiser, where change is encouraged and necessary to remain profitable, and thus to exist. Strange neighbors, endless sheep, torture by bagpipe, and the arduous terrain keeps him from ever finding a comfort zone, and this is probably the point that Ervin is directing us towards.
This is most telling in a particularly revelatory tour of the Jura distillery, where Welter learns that the process of aging whiskey to perfection has a distinct subtext of living life to the full, in the present:
“The size of the cask and the location, that’s how every malt gets its distinct flavors. And from the geographical location of the distillery and the tiniest variations of coastline and altitude too.”
Whiskey as metaphor. Of course. The collision between stasis and change form a battle that goes beyond the novel. It reels in Welter’s reflections from his time on Jura to his pre-Jura meltdown, even to the times of his childhood where Ervin sneaks in some tiny details that are revealing later. It extends across economic, geographic, and family connections and surprises with an unexpected lightness rather than despondence.
Releases today, May 5, 2015.
Special thanks to Soho Books for the Review Copy.
July 25, 2015
The right setting and the wrong character. The Isle of Jura is wonderfully alive on these pages, and the characters our protagonist affronts there are almost all fascinating.
But the main character here (Ray Welter) is as much of a smug pedant as his beloved Orwell. The character arc is predictable from the early pages: disaffected former ad-man escapes vile America for idyllic Scotland only to find that his problems can't be geographically escaped and to return to Chicago a changed, evolved, simpler (and in this case even more smug) man. Every stitch of his pre-Jura life in Chicago (about 1/4 to 1/3 of the book) is waste--just pages and pages of my reading life I'll never get back. Ray is a condescending shitbag, a terrible reader of Orwell, a self-centered prick who never really loses that egocentrism, and a general bore.
I'd happily return to Jura, which Ervin writes about compellingly, but I can't stand another page of Ray. Perhaps the most disappointing moment of the text is when he is NON-fatally shot. Such a missed opportunity. I mean just a few more inches to the left...
But the main character here (Ray Welter) is as much of a smug pedant as his beloved Orwell. The character arc is predictable from the early pages: disaffected former ad-man escapes vile America for idyllic Scotland only to find that his problems can't be geographically escaped and to return to Chicago a changed, evolved, simpler (and in this case even more smug) man. Every stitch of his pre-Jura life in Chicago (about 1/4 to 1/3 of the book) is waste--just pages and pages of my reading life I'll never get back. Ray is a condescending shitbag, a terrible reader of Orwell, a self-centered prick who never really loses that egocentrism, and a general bore.
I'd happily return to Jura, which Ervin writes about compellingly, but I can't stand another page of Ray. Perhaps the most disappointing moment of the text is when he is NON-fatally shot. Such a missed opportunity. I mean just a few more inches to the left...
November 16, 2014
The novel was darkly comic. What I mean when I say that is I laughed at times where the characters seemed ridiculous or absurd. Even if terrible things were happening there was a nervous hilarity to them.
The narrative moves pretty quickly. The prose style is fluid and engaging. There were many times where I stopped to picture the landscape. Like in Extraordinary Renditions, the author really knows how to put the reader in the atmosphere and mood of the place he's writing about.
I think the novel does a great job of demystifying George Orwell. It's critique of 1984 (the main character is obsessed with the book) is something pundits who throw the word 'Orwellian' around on TV should read. They might learn a goddamn thing or two. In fact, I think most people might learn that Orwell Was An Optimist.
Ray, the main character, is flawed, but I never stopped caring about his story. The book is with him throughout--whether it be in Chicago showing his old life in advertising or drinking himself silly on the Isle of Jura. The parts set in Chicago explore his previous life and what lead him to escape to George Orwell's house.
I liked this book a lot because I related to Ray and his ideas. I recommend it to anyone who has considered the idea of living 'off the grid.' Being off the grid was a fantasy I had in the past--to be completely without the nagging modernity or postmodernity or whatever we call the 21st media.
Somehow--and my thoughts our still mushy--the book manages to make a statement about the importance of community and culture. I think Ray romanticized isolation and suffers and recovers from that ill-conceived notion.
Anyway, it's not as dry or boring as I sound! There's a wolf hunt, lots and lots of drams of whiskey, a lovely character named Molly (and her father, Pitcairn, who I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy), and poetic descriptions of the Isle of Jura. It made me want to visit despite all the trappings of the place.
Highly recommended!! Can't wait for it's May release!!
The narrative moves pretty quickly. The prose style is fluid and engaging. There were many times where I stopped to picture the landscape. Like in Extraordinary Renditions, the author really knows how to put the reader in the atmosphere and mood of the place he's writing about.
I think the novel does a great job of demystifying George Orwell. It's critique of 1984 (the main character is obsessed with the book) is something pundits who throw the word 'Orwellian' around on TV should read. They might learn a goddamn thing or two. In fact, I think most people might learn that Orwell Was An Optimist.
Ray, the main character, is flawed, but I never stopped caring about his story. The book is with him throughout--whether it be in Chicago showing his old life in advertising or drinking himself silly on the Isle of Jura. The parts set in Chicago explore his previous life and what lead him to escape to George Orwell's house.
I liked this book a lot because I related to Ray and his ideas. I recommend it to anyone who has considered the idea of living 'off the grid.' Being off the grid was a fantasy I had in the past--to be completely without the nagging modernity or postmodernity or whatever we call the 21st media.
Somehow--and my thoughts our still mushy--the book manages to make a statement about the importance of community and culture. I think Ray romanticized isolation and suffers and recovers from that ill-conceived notion.
Anyway, it's not as dry or boring as I sound! There's a wolf hunt, lots and lots of drams of whiskey, a lovely character named Molly (and her father, Pitcairn, who I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy), and poetic descriptions of the Isle of Jura. It made me want to visit despite all the trappings of the place.
Highly recommended!! Can't wait for it's May release!!
April 26, 2015
I picked this ARC up at the MPIBA trade show back in October, firstly because of the title, secondly because there was a wolf on the front cover, and thirdly because it took place in Scotland, where I had recently returned from. Sadly, I did not make it to the Isle of Jura, where the story takes place, but that wasn't going to deter me.
Burning Down George Orwell's House tells the story of Ray Welter, once a big time advertiser in Chicago who finds himself on a fairly remote island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. After months spent pushing large, gas-guzzling SUVs onto the American public, Ray has a change of heart about who he is and what he's doing with his life. His wife has left him, he's racked with guilt and he has no idea who he is.
So he packs up what few belongings he has and blows all his money on a six month lease on George Orwell's old house, the same on in which he wrote most of 1984. Ray has been obsessed with 1984 since he read it years ago. So what better place to come and rediscover yourself? But Ray has to contended with the locals on the island, most of which who are very pleasant and other much less so.
Okay, I liked this book for a few reasons. First off, it was set in Scotland. Every time I picked up the book it made me very nostalgic and I got to practice my Scottish accent in my head while I read. Not much really happens in the book as far as action or adventure or anything like that. It was really a story of self discovery and introspection and reflection, which can be really boring and preachy if you don't do it well. But I would say Ervin did a very nice job.
The story and Ray's own journey seemed dependent on the story of 1984 but not in a way like it was a crutch. Ray's journey seemed almost a mirror of Winston Smith's journey but inverted. Smith was opposed to the oppression of Big Brother but in the end admires the regime. Ray puts himself in a world he feels is very similar to that of Big Brother (the advertising world) and works to manipulate people into thinking they want something and then tries to escape our very Orwellian world.
I feel like the book is very topical to our own day and age. So much of our lives can be, and will be, dictated by what we are fed by the media, by our government, by however is looking to make a buck off of us and keep us in line. I appreciate very much Ray's struggle to figure out who he is and what really matters to him. It's a very admiral thing to do, especially since not everyone is so quick to question the way things are.
I certainly don't think this kind of book is for everyone. I would say you have to enjoy more literary types of work to pick this book up. But I certainly liked it.
P.S. There's a werewolf and lots of scotch, too.
~Ren
Burning Down George Orwell's House tells the story of Ray Welter, once a big time advertiser in Chicago who finds himself on a fairly remote island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. After months spent pushing large, gas-guzzling SUVs onto the American public, Ray has a change of heart about who he is and what he's doing with his life. His wife has left him, he's racked with guilt and he has no idea who he is.
So he packs up what few belongings he has and blows all his money on a six month lease on George Orwell's old house, the same on in which he wrote most of 1984. Ray has been obsessed with 1984 since he read it years ago. So what better place to come and rediscover yourself? But Ray has to contended with the locals on the island, most of which who are very pleasant and other much less so.
Okay, I liked this book for a few reasons. First off, it was set in Scotland. Every time I picked up the book it made me very nostalgic and I got to practice my Scottish accent in my head while I read. Not much really happens in the book as far as action or adventure or anything like that. It was really a story of self discovery and introspection and reflection, which can be really boring and preachy if you don't do it well. But I would say Ervin did a very nice job.
The story and Ray's own journey seemed dependent on the story of 1984 but not in a way like it was a crutch. Ray's journey seemed almost a mirror of Winston Smith's journey but inverted. Smith was opposed to the oppression of Big Brother but in the end admires the regime. Ray puts himself in a world he feels is very similar to that of Big Brother (the advertising world) and works to manipulate people into thinking they want something and then tries to escape our very Orwellian world.
I feel like the book is very topical to our own day and age. So much of our lives can be, and will be, dictated by what we are fed by the media, by our government, by however is looking to make a buck off of us and keep us in line. I appreciate very much Ray's struggle to figure out who he is and what really matters to him. It's a very admiral thing to do, especially since not everyone is so quick to question the way things are.
I certainly don't think this kind of book is for everyone. I would say you have to enjoy more literary types of work to pick this book up. But I certainly liked it.
P.S. There's a werewolf and lots of scotch, too.
~Ren
June 17, 2015
This was going to be 2 stars but since it kept me reading with interest, it earned the third star. Basic premise interesting. Disenchanted advertising man with a knack for understanding human foibles and how to exploit them, gets tired of working for "The Man". Drinks too much, throws away a great marriage and takes himself to the Island of Jura off the coast of Scotland. You'd expect once there he'd make an attempt to "find" himself. Instead he spends 3 weeks sinking deeper into alcolism, near to alcohol poisoning and whines about the fact that solitude isn't what he thought it would be. He's finally "rescued" by a stereotype brilliant and beautiful 17 years old trying to escape her crazy, homicidal father who teaches him how to use a generator and hikes around the island with him. But, NO SEX as they both loudly assert to each other. Trust me, sex would have helped the book!
I love single malt scotch and know quite a bit about it. However, by the end of this book, even I was sick of hearing his delight in all the drams he consumed. During all of this, he supposedly clings to the text of Orwell's 1984 as a guide to the evils of the world.Did I mention that he is renting the same house Orwell rented while writing the book? There are several references to 1984 but they are not fully fleshed out,certainly not made relevant to the flash backs of his life in Chicago.
In the end, several attempts on his life by the deranged father of the 17 year old, he returns to Chicago and makes a nonsensical career decision.
The book had a good premise and some interesting passages about modern advertising and Scotland. But it felt slapped together too quickly. Another several months with a good editor might have helped.
I love single malt scotch and know quite a bit about it. However, by the end of this book, even I was sick of hearing his delight in all the drams he consumed. During all of this, he supposedly clings to the text of Orwell's 1984 as a guide to the evils of the world.Did I mention that he is renting the same house Orwell rented while writing the book? There are several references to 1984 but they are not fully fleshed out,certainly not made relevant to the flash backs of his life in Chicago.
In the end, several attempts on his life by the deranged father of the 17 year old, he returns to Chicago and makes a nonsensical career decision.
The book had a good premise and some interesting passages about modern advertising and Scotland. But it felt slapped together too quickly. Another several months with a good editor might have helped.
March 6, 2015
There is some very good writing here and some quite clever dark humor. But the book tries to do too many things and there are more loose ends than I might have preferred. It reminded me very much of the book and movie Local Hero from the 1980's--a harried executive seeking simplicity escapes urban living to a remote village in Scotland where a group of colorful characters is encountered. The Orwell theme, aside from almost gratuitous mentions of surveillance cameras, is either too subtle for this reader or a really unnecessary hook.
October 9, 2015
Wavering between 3.5 and 4 stars. I loved the book's setting, and the supporting cast. They were marvelous. What I wasn't crazy about was the protagonist, or the book's loose ends. Ray (protagonist) was a whiny toddler. I could have done without his extensive backstory, and his hopeless meandering. The people of Jura, however, were some of the best characters I've encountered in a long time. Full of depth and dark humor, they carried the book from beginning to end. They are the sole reason that I kept going back for more.
December 29, 2021
Ray Welter throws a successful career in advertising for a retreat to the Scotland's isle of Jura to drink scotch and contemplate George Orwell's writings. Ervin depicts the narrative in two alternating strands: Welter's fish-out-of-water experience with the eccentric residents of Jura and his spiraling-out-of-control life in Chicago just before he runs away to Scotland. I thought the plot points and parallels were occasionally too on the nose, but give Ervin his due; the Scottish strand is a fun travelogue of whiskey and rain-soaked despair as Ray grapples with a possible homicidal father, his teenage artist daughter, a local who suspects he might be a werewolf, and various other residents in inevitably offends.
October 18, 2025
I'd never heard anything about this book but the title grabbed me.
In the end, however, it's just not a very good book. There is nothing comical or humorous about a grown man seeing an underage girl naked and vice versa. Also, the whole shtick of a character telling someone else not to curse and then using profanity themselves is extremely over-used and lazy, and the author does it four times in this book. The rest of the story didn't fare much better.
In the end, however, it's just not a very good book. There is nothing comical or humorous about a grown man seeing an underage girl naked and vice versa. Also, the whole shtick of a character telling someone else not to curse and then using profanity themselves is extremely over-used and lazy, and the author does it four times in this book. The rest of the story didn't fare much better.
December 4, 2020
In this episode: the author’s barely-concealed fetish. Our gallant protagonist nobly declines to sleep with not one, but two women who could be his daughter. One is the brilliant, sexy, artistic, often-nude 17-year old redhead who inhabits the island and spends a few weeks with the protagonist while he desperately tries to not gawk at her alternating between sunbathing, stripping in front of him, and painting nude self-portraits.
This is just such an awful trope that is as creepy as it is utterly boring, and dashed my already-tenuous feeling of immersion into a million pieces as I was reading. The author receives exactly zero points for ultimately having his protagonist not sleep with her (despite plenty of adds-nothing-to-character-development-or-plot sexual tension) although I suppose this would be a one-star review if they had consummated it, so maybe it counts for a very slight something.
The other is his less-discussed employee, who at least is 21, but still has an easy-breezy flirtatious sexuality that borders on comically overdone. The reader is left with the impression is that the hero merely missed the chance to sleep with her, and would likely have if he had the chance. Indeed, she is writing him letters by the end of the book that suggest she’s open for that in the future.
The book itself is just okay. Classic search-for-meaning in the nihilistic void of whiskey and edge-of-the-earth dramatic escapism. “Smart phones and advertising are bad” is hardly a dramatic statement even in the often ham-handed world of fiction. Dash in some poor Jonathan Lethem-imitating faux surrealism (is there a werewolf? is there not? ooh spooky) and you have a forgettable trope-fest peppered with the very occasional well-written line.
It’s just painfully obvious that this is written by a well-educated, intellectual, yet predictably disenchanted white guy. And I am all of those things myself! So if this book doesn’t appeal to me, who on earth would enjoy it? No wonder it was $2.
This is just such an awful trope that is as creepy as it is utterly boring, and dashed my already-tenuous feeling of immersion into a million pieces as I was reading. The author receives exactly zero points for ultimately having his protagonist not sleep with her (despite plenty of adds-nothing-to-character-development-or-plot sexual tension) although I suppose this would be a one-star review if they had consummated it, so maybe it counts for a very slight something.
The other is his less-discussed employee, who at least is 21, but still has an easy-breezy flirtatious sexuality that borders on comically overdone. The reader is left with the impression is that the hero merely missed the chance to sleep with her, and would likely have if he had the chance. Indeed, she is writing him letters by the end of the book that suggest she’s open for that in the future.
The book itself is just okay. Classic search-for-meaning in the nihilistic void of whiskey and edge-of-the-earth dramatic escapism. “Smart phones and advertising are bad” is hardly a dramatic statement even in the often ham-handed world of fiction. Dash in some poor Jonathan Lethem-imitating faux surrealism (is there a werewolf? is there not? ooh spooky) and you have a forgettable trope-fest peppered with the very occasional well-written line.
It’s just painfully obvious that this is written by a well-educated, intellectual, yet predictably disenchanted white guy. And I am all of those things myself! So if this book doesn’t appeal to me, who on earth would enjoy it? No wonder it was $2.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2015
Whisky, Winston Smith, and werewolves? Oh my!
This is solid debut novel with good writing. It's clear that the author has thought a lot about Orwell and 1984, and the only clunky parts of the book were when he goes too "literary theory" and feels the need to flag down the similarities between the themes of 1984 and main character Ray's situation like an insane airplane marshall.
What is interesting is the parallel though inverted journeys of Winston Smith and Ray Welter. While Winston fights Big Brother for as long as possible before succumbing to save himself (which itself is debatable and we don't have to go into it here), Ray has built his life by supporting Big Brother. As a high-powered ad executive, he uses propaganda and cunning persuasion to make most of America think they want gas-guzzling, environmentally unfriendly SUVs. With the weight of his bad choices piling around him, he looks for escape on the Isle of Jura, a remote island of Scotland's Outer Hebrides where Orwell penned his classic dystopian novel.
What I find myself still thinking about is if in the end Ray becomes enlightened and makes a free decision to end up where he does, or if he is just like Winston Smith, succumbing to the powers that be and letting them control him if only to maintain a bit of himself and his sanity. The similarities between 1984's Julia and Molly, the young Scottish girl Ray befriends, are striking, especially in the ending. I don't want to give it away, but Molly's final decision is a confusing one. Maybe Ray, like Winston, realizes that Big Brother is going to be there no matter how far he runs. Is the ending optimistic or not? I think it can be read both ways, but you'll have to read for yourself to see.
A quick read, but a good summer book with a lot more meat to it than any of the pulpy beach fiction floating around right now.
This is solid debut novel with good writing. It's clear that the author has thought a lot about Orwell and 1984, and the only clunky parts of the book were when he goes too "literary theory" and feels the need to flag down the similarities between the themes of 1984 and main character Ray's situation like an insane airplane marshall.
What is interesting is the parallel though inverted journeys of Winston Smith and Ray Welter. While Winston fights Big Brother for as long as possible before succumbing to save himself (which itself is debatable and we don't have to go into it here), Ray has built his life by supporting Big Brother. As a high-powered ad executive, he uses propaganda and cunning persuasion to make most of America think they want gas-guzzling, environmentally unfriendly SUVs. With the weight of his bad choices piling around him, he looks for escape on the Isle of Jura, a remote island of Scotland's Outer Hebrides where Orwell penned his classic dystopian novel.
What I find myself still thinking about is if in the end Ray becomes enlightened and makes a free decision to end up where he does, or if he is just like Winston Smith, succumbing to the powers that be and letting them control him if only to maintain a bit of himself and his sanity. The similarities between 1984's Julia and Molly, the young Scottish girl Ray befriends, are striking, especially in the ending. I don't want to give it away, but Molly's final decision is a confusing one. Maybe Ray, like Winston, realizes that Big Brother is going to be there no matter how far he runs. Is the ending optimistic or not? I think it can be read both ways, but you'll have to read for yourself to see.
A quick read, but a good summer book with a lot more meat to it than any of the pulpy beach fiction floating around right now.
February 3, 2016
I was really pulled into this one. It's main character, Ray, isn't a very lovable man, but you can identify with his need to get away from everything and try to clear his mind someplace he believes to be completely isolated. Unfortunately, no such place exists in the world anymore. Everywhere you go, there you are - you take yourself and all of your baggage with you, and there are others there, too. These others have their own agendas, madnesses, personality problems and past. I think the Orwell connection was pretty weak, and that Ray doesn't really love 1984 as much as he says he does, or doesn't relly understand it. In any rate, the writer doesn't go enough into this idea, which is the stated issue of the title. The strongest parts of the book were the ones taking place on the island of Jura, which keeps surprising Ray and is almost nothing like its fantasy of it. I love how the British seem to have more tolerance towards eccentricity and difference than anyone else in the world, and this is also clear in this novel. This tendency is marred though by their apparent inherent dislike of anyone "foreign", or maybe they're just not as hypocritical about it as others are. Very enjoyable, even suspenseful at times, and gives you a lot to think about when it's done.
June 22, 2015
On the cover of Andrew Ervin's debut novel reads a blurb by the late, tremendously-great Robert Stone, an undeniable master of observation. Stone's influence on Ervin's writing and Burning Down George Orwell's House is inescapable, in the best possible way. Burning Down meditates heavily on Orwell and Scotch, two things I know nothing about, but Ervin's humor, descriptive power, and brilliant characterization (particularly Molly, who I initially wrote-off as simply being future fodder for protagonist, Ray Welter's, bed, but quickly transformed into a refreshingly strong, nuanced female) drew me in regardless. The story of Ray and his interactions with the inhabitants of Scottish Isle, Jura, alone make for a compelling read, but it's the island itself that elevates the novel to exemplary status. Simultaneously depicted as a secluded paradise and a getaway gone hellishly wrong, Ervin's Jura is alive, though obstinate; whiskey-smooth, but oppressive. It's the perfect setting for a delightful subversion of the escapist fantasy.
A damn fine book.
A damn fine book.
June 7, 2015
Right after I started reading this book, I was thinking to myself, "gee, do we really need ANOTHER book telling us how Big Brother is watching us and how we've all fallen into a whirlpool of consumerism?" And this thought went through my mind as I drove past some construction. My next thought was, "oh! The new outlet mall is almost done! Cool!"
I noticed the irony right away and went back to reading the book as soon as I got home.
So I guess what I'm saying is, yes. Yes, we do need another book bashing our current society.
Perhaps we always will.
However - and this is super important - the best part about this book is that it does this in an entertaining way. Because a novel should always have an interesting story. And, preferably, whisky. And this one has both.
It's actually a fun read and - even if you don't like or agree with all of the characters (or even the main character) - it's still worth reading.
Even if you manage to miss the profound message, you'll still enjoy the journey.
I noticed the irony right away and went back to reading the book as soon as I got home.
So I guess what I'm saying is, yes. Yes, we do need another book bashing our current society.
Perhaps we always will.
However - and this is super important - the best part about this book is that it does this in an entertaining way. Because a novel should always have an interesting story. And, preferably, whisky. And this one has both.
It's actually a fun read and - even if you don't like or agree with all of the characters (or even the main character) - it's still worth reading.
Even if you manage to miss the profound message, you'll still enjoy the journey.
July 30, 2015
I think what drew me to this book at first was the title! Then the description sounded so interesting. Then I read it, and enjoyed it immensely! Debut novel by Andrew Ervin takes place firstly in Chicago before he "escapes" to the Outer Herbrides to the isle of Jura to re-evaluate his life and get away from "Big Brother" while re-reading and being immersed in George Orwells 1984 and the place where he wrote it.
Mr. Ervin has a unique story-telling ability, that kept me engrossed during either comic interludes, or meditative experiences. The people of the island were frightfully engaging and sometimes over the top, but this just added to the joyful experience of reading this book. Wonderfully done!
Mr. Ervin has a unique story-telling ability, that kept me engrossed during either comic interludes, or meditative experiences. The people of the island were frightfully engaging and sometimes over the top, but this just added to the joyful experience of reading this book. Wonderfully done!
December 11, 2015
Meh. The writing in this book is actually pretty good, and probably why I finished the whole book. The idea of the story isn't bad, either. A guy in his mid-life crisis goes to a remote island to meditate on his life and the book 1984.
But he doesn't really figure out much about his life, nor does he go into much depth about 1984. In fact, what's marketed as depth is really superficial regarding the classic novel the protagonist is so obsessed with. He continually says he can't describe why he's obsessed with it.
Then the characters are so one-dimensional, and don't even seem to act the way you'd think they would. And then there's the very unsatisfying ending, no real emotion or catharsis, or anything important.
Too bad, it had some potential.
But he doesn't really figure out much about his life, nor does he go into much depth about 1984. In fact, what's marketed as depth is really superficial regarding the classic novel the protagonist is so obsessed with. He continually says he can't describe why he's obsessed with it.
Then the characters are so one-dimensional, and don't even seem to act the way you'd think they would. And then there's the very unsatisfying ending, no real emotion or catharsis, or anything important.
Too bad, it had some potential.
November 27, 2018
If you are an angry, recently divorced man in his forties whom has never read anything by anyone other than Grisham you will probably enjoy this book a lot. As someone outside of that demographic, I made a Goodreads account just to express how much I hated this book. I wanted cool werewolves, and it gave me boring, self-indulgent garbage. Whatever midlife crisis Andrew Ervin is currently going through is as dull as his prose style.
Excruciating, disappointing, thoroughly putdownable. If I could give it less than one star I would, and wish fervently that every copy had burned along with the eponymous house.
Excruciating, disappointing, thoroughly putdownable. If I could give it less than one star I would, and wish fervently that every copy had burned along with the eponymous house.
June 13, 2015
Fun read but could have been better, all the talk of scotch whiskey was beyond tedious.
February 10, 2016
What a self satisfied, self important little book.
June 12, 2016
Perhaps a glass of scotch would have made this book more tolerable or readable.
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January 15, 2023I’m on the fence about this. It was not bad, but I didn’t love it. After a certain point, I was just reading to get to the end.
It probably should be made into an independent film. The quirky, often unlikeable Isle of Jura residents would be perfect in a movie.
It probably should be made into an independent film. The quirky, often unlikeable Isle of Jura residents would be perfect in a movie.
October 5, 2024
A terrific read. The arc of a crazy travelogue where a dissipated ad executive obsessed with George Orwell seeks what, redemption, by giving up everything to live in the Croft where the author wrote 1984 frames a deep seam of introspection that is outrageously entertaining. If you are a fan of single malt whisky you will either rush to pour yourself a dram or never touch the stuff again. Loved this.
October 5, 2017
The Scotland scenes are solid - a disillusioned advertising executive tries to find meaning in Orwell's old haunts - but are undermined by 70 pages of Chicago backstory. Good premise but not fully realized.
December 29, 2021
It's a good thing this is a short book, because I was already tired of the narrator's whining halfway through. That's too bad, because the book does bring up some interesting points, but then it neglects to do anything with them. The only consolation is that the book probably won't sell well enough for some nut job to read the title and get any wild ideas.
May 22, 2015
This book lives up to its intriguing title and premise. A burnt-out Chicago ad executive, Ray Welter, flees to the remote Scottish island of Jura to follow in the footsteps of his literary hero, George Orwell. His life crashing around him, he escapes the modern world and its Orwellian surveillance to live in the house where Orwell lived in 1946.
Needless to say, the house and island don't live up to Ray's dream of an idyllic getaway. The weather is frightful, many of the natives are hostile, and their customs are baffling, such as their solstice werewolf hunt. While Ray is miserable and mopey for most of this book (which made me want to tell him to stop whining and snap out of it), he is ecstatic about the local whisky, which inspires the best lyrical descriptions in the novel:
"It tasted like French kissing a leather-clad supermodel."
"Ray took another sip.... It tasted like caramel and wood smoke and moonlight glowing on a winning lottery ticket."
"The bottle of single malt is a time capsule. A record of the natural life of Jura."
"The alchemical process that had produced their contents utilized little more than earth and air and water and time."
I don't even like whisky, but he certainly made it sound enticing.
As the story unfolds, we learn about Ray's successes in the ad world, his diabolically clever campaign to promote a gas-guzzling SUV, how he torpedoed his marriage and how he can begin to put his life back together.
This is an entertaining read for fans of George Orwell, Scotland, whisky and black humor. This story also has a promising future as an indie movie. I can hear Ervin's agent pitching Hollywood now: "Mad Man meets Wolf Man." What a great high concept idea for a film.
Needless to say, the house and island don't live up to Ray's dream of an idyllic getaway. The weather is frightful, many of the natives are hostile, and their customs are baffling, such as their solstice werewolf hunt. While Ray is miserable and mopey for most of this book (which made me want to tell him to stop whining and snap out of it), he is ecstatic about the local whisky, which inspires the best lyrical descriptions in the novel:
"It tasted like French kissing a leather-clad supermodel."
"Ray took another sip.... It tasted like caramel and wood smoke and moonlight glowing on a winning lottery ticket."
"The bottle of single malt is a time capsule. A record of the natural life of Jura."
"The alchemical process that had produced their contents utilized little more than earth and air and water and time."
I don't even like whisky, but he certainly made it sound enticing.
As the story unfolds, we learn about Ray's successes in the ad world, his diabolically clever campaign to promote a gas-guzzling SUV, how he torpedoed his marriage and how he can begin to put his life back together.
This is an entertaining read for fans of George Orwell, Scotland, whisky and black humor. This story also has a promising future as an indie movie. I can hear Ervin's agent pitching Hollywood now: "Mad Man meets Wolf Man." What a great high concept idea for a film.
May 12, 2016
A book about a man who uses perspectives gained from Orwell's 1984 to become an advertising success burns out and escapes from his shitty life by renting out the cottage where Orwell wrote his masterpiece on the remote Scottish isle of Jura. I love Orwell. I love 1984. I love Scotland and it's remote islands. I love stories about escaping to remote places. I wanted to love this book. Unfortunately I disliked most of it. My biggest problem with the book was that it felt like the author was constantly trying to remind the reader that the book was set in Scotland and drew upon all the classic Scottish stereotypes in order to do so: pipes, haggis, whisky, Slainte, drams, the constant rain, and the dominion of sheep. Yes, those things are part of Scotland but not everything. Mr. Pitcairn calls Ray "Chappie" 56 times in the entire book, and it's not a long book. Even if Chappie was a name regularly used in Scotland (I never heard it) it's not appropriate to call any character a name/nickname that many times, often multiple times in the same speech. It drove me insane. Also, as someone who served breakfast most days for several months in Scottish hotels a "Full Scottish" breakfast consists of eggs, bacon, sausage, baked beans, mushrooms, blood pudding, tattie scones, and hashbrowns. No haggis. I also didn't feel the flashback chapters of his life back in Chicago added much to the story. And Molly, I had a lot of problems with Molly. Overall I was terribly disappointed with this book.
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