"The Fix” (2013) by Keith Nixon
Nigel explained that he would have gone for “Flowers for Algernon” however concluded that, having just collectively read a Science Fiction book, two Sci Fi books in a row was just not appropriate
Nigel also decided that our choices so far this year have been fairly serious and none have been about us - English, early 21st century, middle class men...
"Frankenstein" (1818) by Mary Shelley
"To rise again at a decent hour" (2014) by Joshua Ferris
"Caveworld" (2013) by Adam Gnade
"Roadside Picnic" (1971) by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
…so he decided something blokey, easy to read, set in England, compelling, and hopefully well written and funny
Nigel had also noticed that at all the gatherings this year Robin has mentioned that he didn’t finish the book and, linked to this, fell asleep whilst reading the books. Nigel was hoping to find something that would pass “the Robin test” - specifically that Robin would finish it, and stay awake whilst reading it - would "The Fix" pass? Sadly we never got to find out as Robin couldn't make the discussion and didn't send a review. Call us a cynical bunch but we suspect that Robin never even picked it up. We gave a collective sigh before moving on.
So to what extent did "The Fix" meet Nigel's hope for something blokey, easy to read, hopefully well written, set in England, compelling, and and funny?
Blokey? Absolutely. Possibly a bit too blokey for Nigel's tastes. "Ass rating" jarred with me though the over-the-top sexism and all round bastard qualities of Hershey Valentine were so extreme as to be quite enjoyable.
Easy to read? Undoubtedly.
Well written? Definitely. Don is in the habit of comparing everything to “The Road”. Nigel prefers to consider books on their own terms. As a straight up piece of escapist nonsense which stayed just the right side of vaguely credible, and as an enjoyable, fairly original thriller this hit the spot.
Set in England? Absolutely. Nigel enjoys books set in London. Also setting the book in Margate and Broadstairs, and other nearby seaside places in Kent was an added bonus. The locations were a big part of the book’s charm for Nigel.
Compelling? Very much so. By the last third Nigel was gripped. The plot doesn’t bear too much scrutiny and whilst Josh Dedman, Claire, and to a lesser extent Jack/Clive, were very credible characters, Konstantin, Hershey Valentine and Liam/Mr Lamb, less so but they all added to the fun.
Nigel was engaged throughout and once Josh had lost his job he was very keen to see how it would all play out. And talking of the moment Josh got sacked he loved this paragraph….
"All I want is my shitty little life back. I feel I'm in a very small boat in very rough seas, I've no idea what stability means anymore and there's no sight of land. Compared to where I am now my inconsequential job, arsehole boss and meaningless relationship are infinitely better.”
Funny? Not really and certainly not “laugh out loud funny” as one reviewer claimed - but it was mildly amusing with some original ideas. As mentioned, Hershey’s over the top fiendishness was a delight, Josh’s inner thoughts were well expressed and had an everyman quality Nigel could easily relate to, Konstantin was a great character, if completely implausible, and Claire’s superficiality and comeuppance were smile inducing. The tourettes presentation seemed highly improbable given what else we knew about Josh. So not funny as such but generally well observed and amusingly written.
Other thoughts… the ending didn’t live up to the rest of the book and felt a bit pat. It seemed to Nigel that Keith Nixon reached his ideal book length and then just tied up the loose ends as quickly as possible. I also feel something darker, or perhaps ambiguous, would have worked better in the context of the book, rather than the somewhat cliched happy ending.
Overall, and on its own terms (Stoner, The Road, or A Month In The Country it ain’t ), it was an enjoyable, somewhat inconsequential, well written piece of escapism, that scores high for Nigel because its more original elements and its sense of place. 8/10
Keith was in broad agreement and concluded that it would make a good Simon Pegg/Nick Frost film. 6/10
Tristan thought it was just too blokey and too laddy and too fnar fnar - facile and forgettable 4/10
Hmaish likes crime fiction and thought this was readable enough but so poorly written. No subtly, no restraint, too many brackets, the language battered the reader. A stinker 1/10
Nick thought this was one of the three worst books we've ever read together. A poor man's Martin Amis or Iain Banks. 2/10
On the positive side, we did enjoy a good discussion.
Nigel loves Iggy Pop - loves him. Watching the Igster with the Stooges play "Raw Power" was one of his best gigs of all time.
Keith shocked everyone by saying he's never listened to Iggy. Ever. Lordy.
Tristan likes Iggy
Hamish doesn't like Iggy
Nick responds to the diversity of Iggy's cannon.
“A Prophet” (2009) dir. by Jacques Audiard
One of the signs of a good film is the extent that it stays with you in the days and weeks which follow your viewing. “A Prophet” has really stuck with Nigel. Three things really work in its favour:
the cast - esp Tahar Rahim as Malik
the cinematography
the soundtrack
Blown away by this film - engrossed from the word go. Watched all 2.5 hours in one sitting.
Amazing central performance by Tahar Rahim as Malik - from relative innocent to crime boss, implausible premise but given credibility by his stunning performance, and one that made me root for him from the off.
Cinematography is stunning, making the grim prison appear strangely beautiful and otherworldly.
So much subtly too, for example how Reyeb (the person Malik reluctantly assassinates) stops appearing when Malik’s crime boss persona is complete, and in the final vision he is on fire presumably to symbolise his withdrawal. The ending is joyously subtle too, as Malik is met by Ryad's wife and son outside the prison. As they walk off together the camera pans out to reveal a vehicle convoy carrying Malik's new associates and, the icing on the cake, a great version of “Mack the Knife” that I’d never heard before, by Jimmie Dale Gilmore.
Nigel got hold of the soundtrack album soon after watching the film just for “Mack the Knife” by Jimmie Dale Gilmore - though there are some other great tracks on there in addition to the original score.
Best film Nigel has seen in years. 10/10 - 5/5 - 100/100
Fortunately, and in stark contrast to the book, this film garnered universal HBG acclaim. Hurrah!
Endorse it
Keith - Miss Violence - a Greek film
Tristan - Holly McNish
Hamish - The Great Escape festival in Brighton
Nick - The Obstacle is The Way - a book about Stoicism + Tim Ferris podcast
Nigel - So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson + Romany and Tom by Ben Watt
And that was that
Nigel - So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson + Romany and Tom by Ben Watt
And that was that
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