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Whitehawk
A hilarious novel from previously published, successful author Simon Nolan, about a young woman hired by a special unit created by the Blair government to induce people to be more rational.Mel Banff is hired by the shadowy `Rationality Unit' created by the Blair government to induce people to make rational decisions in their lives so they won't waste public money. She begins to interact with a family in Brighton (Whitehawk estates) made up of strange eccentric pink-kneed Kenneth, his overweight, turkey-necked wife June, a pair of twins, one of whom is always wrapped in a sheet, and a mildly hysterical, precocious teenage girl Kelly. There's also Dane, a young hotshot cousin, and a host of other deranged characters.Mel soon gets caught up in the family's outrageous she hears dog ghosts, finds wedding dresses with tracksuit trimmings, and witnesses sex between Dane and (underage) Kelly. In the end, although Mel tries her best to impose rationality and prevent an incestuous and paedophiliac wedding, she unwittingly becomes part of an extremely bizarre ritual in a narrative twist that challenges all rational explanation...Not only Mel but members of her family risk death if she doesn't figure out what to do.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 8, 2019
It was the title of this book that caught my eye. I had wanted to write a book entitled 'Whitehawk' myself, so I was quite curious when I discovered someone else had beat me to it. My book would not be about the social services or families on benefits -- which is pretty standard Whitehawk fare given that this is one of the most deprived areas in Britain with 41% of the working population on benefits and a staggering percentage of children growing up in poverty. No, my book would be about the natural beauty of the place. Overlooking one of the finest coastal settings in the South East of England, Whitehawk offers views of Brighton and Hove that simply take your breath away.
"Whitehawk Hill" by Red Earth
Red Earth create site-specific work in, and in response to the landscape: installations, performances and participatory events exploring our natural and cultural heritage, transforming our understanding of the places where we live
Notwithstanding the different focus, Nolan's book gripped me almost from page 1. The book starts with a social worker job-huting and eventually landing a job with the so-called 'Rationality Unit', a slightly Orwellian in inspiration social services project motivated by the idea that families suffer deprivation and other unwanted social outcomes as a result of 'high levels of unreason'. Teach them some logic! is the rallying cry of the unit, which Mel, our social worker, sets out to do in earnest with her first clients, the Medcrupp/Ireland family. If all men are mortal and Socrates is a man, then Socrates is ...?
Unfortunately, none of the family shows much willingness to engage with Mel's exercises in logic having been lured into the project with the promise of some extra money at the end of a three-month engagement. Kenneth, June's partner and father of twins, is menacing and sarcastic; June seems more straightforward and easier to work with until, that is, she gets Mel alone to warn her about the howling ghosts roaming the house. Kelly, June's daughter from a previous relationship, seems like a normal teenager; only that everyone raves about her dancing abilities of which Mel cannot find the slightest evidence. Add to that a pair of twins one of whom is always covered up in long white garments and a nephew that nobody wants to talk about and you've got the mix that Mel has to deal with and knock some sense (literally!) into their heads.
There is an element of horror and detective story in the final resolution which I did not find convincing. That said, the book is strong on characters and strong on humour. It's also quick-paced and otherwise well-written even though the detective story bit was not well integrated into the overall story.
"Whitehawk Hill" by Red Earth
Red Earth create site-specific work in, and in response to the landscape: installations, performances and participatory events exploring our natural and cultural heritage, transforming our understanding of the places where we live
Notwithstanding the different focus, Nolan's book gripped me almost from page 1. The book starts with a social worker job-huting and eventually landing a job with the so-called 'Rationality Unit', a slightly Orwellian in inspiration social services project motivated by the idea that families suffer deprivation and other unwanted social outcomes as a result of 'high levels of unreason'. Teach them some logic! is the rallying cry of the unit, which Mel, our social worker, sets out to do in earnest with her first clients, the Medcrupp/Ireland family. If all men are mortal and Socrates is a man, then Socrates is ...?
Unfortunately, none of the family shows much willingness to engage with Mel's exercises in logic having been lured into the project with the promise of some extra money at the end of a three-month engagement. Kenneth, June's partner and father of twins, is menacing and sarcastic; June seems more straightforward and easier to work with until, that is, she gets Mel alone to warn her about the howling ghosts roaming the house. Kelly, June's daughter from a previous relationship, seems like a normal teenager; only that everyone raves about her dancing abilities of which Mel cannot find the slightest evidence. Add to that a pair of twins one of whom is always covered up in long white garments and a nephew that nobody wants to talk about and you've got the mix that Mel has to deal with and knock some sense (literally!) into their heads.
There is an element of horror and detective story in the final resolution which I did not find convincing. That said, the book is strong on characters and strong on humour. It's also quick-paced and otherwise well-written even though the detective story bit was not well integrated into the overall story.
March 31, 2021
Well, I really don't know what to say about this one! As a Brightonian with more than a passing acquaintance with the Whitehawk Estate, I was initially amused by the spot-on description of the area and its inhabitants; but when social worker Mel Banff is assigned to the Medcrupp/Ireland family to write a report for the 'Rationality Unit' things get seriously weird.
This isn't yer average dysfunctional family with a delusional sense of entitlement, this is delusion on an altogether different scale, involving ghost dogs, Cornish royalty, the Laws of Primogeniture and believe it or not, Tristan and Isolde. The story parts company with credibility way too early in the narrative for my liking, but all the same I was compelled to keep reading right up until the end just to see how it would all pan out, hence the three stars.
This isn't yer average dysfunctional family with a delusional sense of entitlement, this is delusion on an altogether different scale, involving ghost dogs, Cornish royalty, the Laws of Primogeniture and believe it or not, Tristan and Isolde. The story parts company with credibility way too early in the narrative for my liking, but all the same I was compelled to keep reading right up until the end just to see how it would all pan out, hence the three stars.
March 30, 2011
funny, especially if you've suffered Government Speak at work.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews