this-is-it

by joseph-connolly

Eric Pizer can just about keep his two lives weekends in the country with his wife, Bunty, getting sympathy he doesn't deserve; Mondays to Fridays in London with his pretend job, a house full of misfit tenants, and a girlfriend with secrets of her own. But when one sunny morning Eric is hit by a bus and breaks his leg, this on top of the threatening phone calls from a man called Slingsby, Eric suspects that things are about to become very complicated indeed. Joseph Connolly's novel is a tour through the disintegrating world of inveterate liar and accident-prone Eric. Along the way we meet a cast of hilarious the wild and angry Fiona, always bumping in to things; Henry Vole, one of the tenants, addicted to tea, Hobnobs - addicted to Fiona; a couple of decorators who seem to be systematically demolishing Eric's house; and of course the blackmailer Slingsby (Eric thinks he knew the Krays). Once again, in This Is It, Joseph Connolly shows that he is the country's most original writer of black comedy.

Genres: Fiction

310 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1997

Reviews

[Nigel]

A dark black comedy full of unlikeable characters doing reprehensible things. The situations everyone gets themselves into make you wince in discomfort as much as entertain and although it is full of knockabout satirical humour one does not care enough about the characters. Perversely enjoyable though.

[Rachel]

Dark, dark dark with very unpleasant characters. The ending did provide a smile though...

[evangeline]

disgusting

[Christine Parker]

3.5 maybe even 4 stars really. Not my usual fodder but I really enjoyed it. A quintessentially English farce with some laugh out loud moments. Not sure how well it will ‘travel’.

[Sarah Ward]

Didn't finish, boring!

[Kenneth]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13973500

[Renita D'Silva]

This was okay, a fun read.