The Father's Comedy

by Roy Fuller

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Poems (1939) was Roy Broadbent Fuller's first book of poetry. He also began to write fiction in the 1950s. As a poet he became identified, on stylistic grounds, with The Movement. He was Professor of Poetry at Oxford University 1968-1973.

Reviews

[David]

Again, just a little too caught up in British bureaucracy--in a manner from which Fuller's poems are generally free--to be really intriguing. This time an incident in the military draws a father into the defense of his accused son. There is the usual attraction for/involvement with a younger woman. The resolution is somewhat predictable; it's very difficult to describe.

[CQM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harold Colmore is a chartered accountant for 'the authority' he's near the top of the tree and in line for promotion when his son, doing his national service in an African colony, gets himself in trouble. Will Harold have to sacrifice his future ambitions to help his son?
Roy Fuller has become one of my favourite authors this year as I've bashed through his three thrillers in fairly quick succession. Unfortunately there's not much information out there concerning what other novels he may have written so I was very lucky to stumble upon this one on the book stall under Waterloo Bridge while walking back to work one afternoon. The Father's Comedy isn't a laugh a minute romp but it is slyly amusing in a sad sort of way and ads another layer to a very interesting writer.

[Bleu]

Oh, I tried. I've dragged my feet on giving up on this, determined to persevere.

I started this in 2019 and just happened to put it down, after three chapters. I remember liking the story, with key details of Harold and Judy's relationship sticking with me for years.

Trying it again in 2024, I had high hopes of enjoying this, which was actualised for the first seventy-ish pages. However, after part one, the setting and main plot take a huge change, and I just don't care anymore.

The writing is great, but I'm not interested in enough of the content.