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Mosquitoes
(Re-edited for 2024)"You can never win an argument with a stupid person." Alex Sumner has had enough. Things aren’t going well for him. Not well at all. Forced to work with idiots, disappointment meets him at every corner. His job is under threat, his wife shows him no interest and his big break as a writer always seems to be on the horizon, never getting any closer. Then one day something within him snaps and he is prepared to suffer these fools no more. On a path of self-destruction and paranoia, he finds himself in a secure psychiatric hospital and reflects back upon the strange events that have caused him to be there. And is any of this his own fault?
209 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 20, 2016
10 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
John R. McKay
9 books13 followersJohn McKay served in the Royal Air Force for seven years before pursuing a career in the Fire and Rescue Service. He lives in Wigan, Lancashire, with his wife, Dawn, and has two daughters and two granddaughters.
With a huge interest in all things World Wars One and Two, John took up writing a few years ago, embarking on an ambition he had held since childhood. This has led to an interest in the Russian/Arctic Convoys of World War Two and him completing the wartime memoir of a veteran of those voyages, Charlie Erswell (Surviving the Arctic Convoys, The Wartime Memoir of Leading Seaman Charlie Erswell, Pen & Sword, 2021). He has also written an in-depth account of PQ18, one of the most significant seaborne operations of the whole war (Arctic Convoy PQ18, 25 Days That Changed The Course of the War, Pen & Sword, 2023).
John’s novel, Hell and High Water, won the inaugural Aspects of History Historical Fiction Award and was published by Sharpe Books. His Manner of Men series pays homage to Britain’s airborne forces of World War Two. Books in the series have been endorsed by renowned historians and authors, Damien Lewis and Saul David.
With a huge interest in all things World Wars One and Two, John took up writing a few years ago, embarking on an ambition he had held since childhood. This has led to an interest in the Russian/Arctic Convoys of World War Two and him completing the wartime memoir of a veteran of those voyages, Charlie Erswell (Surviving the Arctic Convoys, The Wartime Memoir of Leading Seaman Charlie Erswell, Pen & Sword, 2021). He has also written an in-depth account of PQ18, one of the most significant seaborne operations of the whole war (Arctic Convoy PQ18, 25 Days That Changed The Course of the War, Pen & Sword, 2023).
John’s novel, Hell and High Water, won the inaugural Aspects of History Historical Fiction Award and was published by Sharpe Books. His Manner of Men series pays homage to Britain’s airborne forces of World War Two. Books in the series have been endorsed by renowned historians and authors, Damien Lewis and Saul David.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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July 26, 2016Mosquitoes is a rage against the machine struggle by an everyman frustrated with his life and the establishment. John McKay conjures images of a weary northern soul who is desperate to better the lot of his and his wife’s lives, but meets irresistible force after immovable object at every turn.
The story unfolds across two timelines. In the present, our protagonist, Alex Sumner, is incarcerated in a mental healthcare unit and his treatment whilst there delves into his recent past, which McKay uses to transport us to the backstory of how he has arrived at such a sorry situation. In these flashbacks we learn that he has grown bitter and impatient with everything in his life. His bosses are incompetent pen pushers, while his peers rise up the ranks despite their ineptitude and because they play the corporate three bags full game. Outside of work he is surrounded by morons incapable of holding a coherent conversation and at home his wife has almost become a virtual stranger.
In so many ways Mosquitoes is a snapshot of real life.
The one hope he has for his future is his novel which, by his own admission, is a brilliant masterpiece. It's in the hands of a well-established agent in London who is bound to love it. It's right up her street, or so he thinks.
Inevitably the last straw of annoyance cripples the camel and he embarks on a one-man campaign to shake things up a little and take control of his life. Just like Brexit only with more of an after plan! With every step he gets thumped ever harder by another wake-up call from his job to his marriage, and from his so-called friends to his shattered dreams. As each hit lands he descends further into a self-destructive path of mayhem, which spirals out of control at breakneck speed before arriving at his current location.
On one level, Mosquitoes is the tale of a regular guy trying to cope with his own existence, while on another it is a savage indictment of 21st century Britain.
McKay reminds us that we all have our own journey to make and none of us knows the route or destination. All we have is the steering wheel and the fuel. As individuals we can’t beat the system. By the same token, we can choose our battles and strive to find a path to our own peace.
The story unfolds across two timelines. In the present, our protagonist, Alex Sumner, is incarcerated in a mental healthcare unit and his treatment whilst there delves into his recent past, which McKay uses to transport us to the backstory of how he has arrived at such a sorry situation. In these flashbacks we learn that he has grown bitter and impatient with everything in his life. His bosses are incompetent pen pushers, while his peers rise up the ranks despite their ineptitude and because they play the corporate three bags full game. Outside of work he is surrounded by morons incapable of holding a coherent conversation and at home his wife has almost become a virtual stranger.
In so many ways Mosquitoes is a snapshot of real life.
The one hope he has for his future is his novel which, by his own admission, is a brilliant masterpiece. It's in the hands of a well-established agent in London who is bound to love it. It's right up her street, or so he thinks.
Inevitably the last straw of annoyance cripples the camel and he embarks on a one-man campaign to shake things up a little and take control of his life. Just like Brexit only with more of an after plan! With every step he gets thumped ever harder by another wake-up call from his job to his marriage, and from his so-called friends to his shattered dreams. As each hit lands he descends further into a self-destructive path of mayhem, which spirals out of control at breakneck speed before arriving at his current location.
On one level, Mosquitoes is the tale of a regular guy trying to cope with his own existence, while on another it is a savage indictment of 21st century Britain.
McKay reminds us that we all have our own journey to make and none of us knows the route or destination. All we have is the steering wheel and the fuel. As individuals we can’t beat the system. By the same token, we can choose our battles and strive to find a path to our own peace.
August 16, 2024
descend into madness
I’m a USA Today bestselling author, for the same reason this author, John is. We were both part of an anthology that hit the list. John is an enormously talented writer.
This book is a page turner and it injects you into the mind of someone gone mad. It does it so well that you start to wonder how horrific it would be to lose your grip on reality because you can imagine it, John brings you into that mind, into the insanity.
It’s a five star read, the only criticism I have is that someone like this would have a disorder which is not the case in the book. I hope that’s too much of a spoiler, so I won’t say more. I loved it overall. You should give it a read.
I’m a USA Today bestselling author, for the same reason this author, John is. We were both part of an anthology that hit the list. John is an enormously talented writer.
This book is a page turner and it injects you into the mind of someone gone mad. It does it so well that you start to wonder how horrific it would be to lose your grip on reality because you can imagine it, John brings you into that mind, into the insanity.
It’s a five star read, the only criticism I have is that someone like this would have a disorder which is not the case in the book. I hope that’s too much of a spoiler, so I won’t say more. I loved it overall. You should give it a read.
January 2, 2017
A very likable unlikable main character
I liked the main guy, he was often rude, honest and unpredictable, but he was also funny, honest and unpredictable. I am new to the author and I understand that this is a change of style for him. Well I enjoyed the style of writing and the dialogue and I will look at his other work.
I liked the main guy, he was often rude, honest and unpredictable, but he was also funny, honest and unpredictable. I am new to the author and I understand that this is a change of style for him. Well I enjoyed the style of writing and the dialogue and I will look at his other work.
March 28, 2017
I love this book read it in one day! I liked the main character and felt for him with all the 'stupid people' around him but it was like a car crash spiralling out of control! We all have 'mosquitoes' in our lives and 'stupid people' can get on our nerves but there is a time to speak up and time not too! Alex just reached the point were he couldn't 'suffer the fools' any longer and said exactly what he wanted! The style of writing was great, Alex was sarcastic and uncompromising with other people often rude but very funny!
April 10, 2017
A moving and realistic tale of mental illness.
I found this story very engaging. Comic and tragic in equal measure -a bit like life? I started out despising the main character and ended by rooting for him. Many of his actions will be half admired by those who wish there were no consequences.
I found this story very engaging. Comic and tragic in equal measure -a bit like life? I started out despising the main character and ended by rooting for him. Many of his actions will be half admired by those who wish there were no consequences.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews