“Seven Terrors” (2012) by Selvedin Avdić

BOOK: “Seven Terrors” (2012) by Selvedin Avdić

Thanks Selvedin Avdić.  You were the catalyst for a superb discussion at The Westbourne. Our first meeting there following the new found popularity of The Poets Corner - or the Poets Ale and Smoke House as it is now known.  Whilst we mourned the passing of Prince, we enjoyed having the public bar to ourselves, as we supped ale, rapped about Tristan's East European selections and grooved to the eclectic musical playlist that seemed to be made just for us.

Tristan, who chose the book, ruefully observed that sometimes the only way to write about something horrible is to do it obliquely. In Seven Terrors we see the Bosnian war of the early to mid-90s glimpsed fleetingly, out of the corner of the eye, like a ghost passing between two worlds. Tristan choose that metaphor carefully, because this is a book in which two worlds are often in contrast, if not in conflict: the living and the dead, the time before a woman leaves a man and after, the pre- and postwar world, the spirit and human worlds, madness and sanity, dreaming and reality, Muslim and Christian, Muslim and atheist. A bar owner, about to thump the drunken and abusive narrator, and relishing the moment, "was shining like a comet separating two epochs". There is even, mundanely, the difference between the way a radio station operated before digital technology, and afterwards. This recurring motif of division and separation, though, is not laboured; it's woven into the book's structure, but Tristan wondered whether it was even intentional. 8/10

Nick felt that Selvedin Avdić was on to something, and not just by way of a metaphor describing a divided country. It's darker than that, with something of the nature of folk story thrown in, too. Seven Terrors is a story that starts off weird and gets weirder, but with the logic and clamminess of a bad dream. It's quite unlike anything Nick had read before, but it has all the consistency and force of something major and assured. That it has room for humour is testament to Avdić's confidence.  7/10

Nigel loved this unexpected gem that he knows will stay with him.  An allegorical tale which, whilst ostensibly about a lonely man who has withdrawn from the world and then is forced to reemerge, also confronts the aftermath of the Bosnian war of the 1990s. The fragility of the nameless narrator, as he tries to find an old friend who has disappeared, echoes the fractured post-war world he inhabits. This beguiling 150 page novel packs so much in and, despite dealing with serious matters, is highly readable, and sporadically funny, as it juxtaposes a heady mix of war, myth, popular culture, and the supernatural. It’s profound and very clever. There are layers of subtext and plenty to ponder by the end, not least, at the back of the book where there are further notes and reflections. 8/10

Robin felt a kinship with the unnamed narrator, a former radio journalist, pulling himself out of a nine-month torpor following the departure of his wife. Did his extreme condition owe something to Beckett?  Robin fell in love with Mirna, the daughter of an old friend and colleague, Aleksa, who vanished in 1993. Robin also loved Perkman who signifies either hidden treasure or a forthcoming disaster. Aleksa has to find out if he's going mad – to see whether or not anyone believes him. Soon the miners start to shun him; at first, he thinks it's because he's a Serb; but now he's seen the djinn, it seems they think he's bad luck. We are all, a bit Perkman?  Yes?  Yes yes, yes indeed, most emphatically, smiled Robin, enigmatically, before suggestively sipping his Benchmark ale.  7/10

Keith, gazed at us grim faced.  Not good.  Not good at all.  Yes, so it was a book which managed to weave the mythic horror familiar from legend and modern masters of the fantastic like Bulgakov and Leo Perutz with the horrors of the Balkan war and human cruelty. And, Keith could also dig the idea of an old friend who seems to have disappeared into the mythical underworld.  We’ve all needed something to get us out of bed after nine months of bemoaning a wife’s departure. But c’mon, a kind of underworld and two of the most deftly drawn villains of contemporary fiction, the Pegasus brothers?  Lovers of death from childhood and ghostly white from head to toe?  Do we need this just to understand the way man can become a monster and then man again?  Not me, sobbed Keith. 5/10

Hamish highlighted the unsettling nightmare of post-war Bosnia but was left confounded by this work of Gothic genius. The choice to sublimate the actualities of mass burials, and focus on paranormal activity and returning spirits, whilst our hapless protagonist tried to bring love and meaning back into his life, was eerily familiar. 7/10

MUSIC: “Give” (2011) by Balkan Beat Box

Tristan 5/10

Hamish 5/10

Keith Political Fuck

Robin, he no listen to no stinking Balkan Beat Box

Nick, a load of Balkans

Nigel, bit of Congo Natty, Gogol Bordello & Major Lazer

Must try harder seemed to be the consensus

FILM: “No Man's Land (Bosnian: Ničija zemlja)” (2001) directed by Danis Tanović

Everybody loved this 2001 war film that is set in the midst of the Bosnian war. The film is a parable and marked the debut of Bosnian writer and director Danis Tanović. It is a co-production among companies in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Italy, France, Belgium and the UK. The film won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001.

ENDORSE IT

Here's what we're currently endorsing...

Tristan: Whitechapel (TV series)

Hamish: Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

Keith: Nottingham's Galleries of Justice

Robin The Durrells (TV series)

Nick Julia Davis' Camping (TV series)

Nigel:

People vs OJ Simpson (TV series)

Breakdown podcast - Justin Ross Harris case

The Limiñanas “Malamore" LP

“Jumpin’ Jack Flash: David Litvinoff and the Rock'n'Roll Underworld” by Keiron Pim

And on that note we bade each other farewell and rode off into the night.

Adios amigos.  Hasta la vista

“Remains of the Day” (1989) by Kazuo Ishiguro

“Remains of the Day” (1989) by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Remains of the Day (1989) is Kazuo Ishiguro's third published novel. The work was awarded the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1989. A film adaptation of the novel, made in 1993 and starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, was nominated for eight Academy Awards.

Nick, who chose this tome, thought it was wonderful and, to varying degrees, so did the rest of the group

It was like slipping into a warm bath - something at once very familiar but completely welcome. 

The Remains of the Day is about many things, but first and foremost it is about regret. Stevens the Butler, who narrates the tale, is obsessed with a sense of duty and commitment, and thus puts his complete trust, and all his professional energies, into serving Lord Darlington, a decent if gullible British aristocrat who, despite honourable intentions, is ultimately labelled a Nazi sympathiser.

Stevens’ professionalism and perfectionism result in him belatedly realising, in his autumn years, that he has missed the chance of a fulfilling and loving relationship with a woman who loved him. Stevens’ extreme formality and obsessive sense of duty ultimately made him incapable of intimacy, empathy and emotional attachments. 

The story is cleverly told through a series of atmospheric and powerful reminiscences whilst, back in the present day, Stevens makes a rare journey away from Darlington Hall, where he has spent the majority of his life. The Remains of the Day perfectly evokes the life of a butler in a Great English House between the wars whilst, simultaneously, revealing Stevens’ recognition of, and regret about, some of his decisions and behaviour. Every page is an absolute delight. A subtle, clever, powerful, beautifully written novel.

Hamish was the only slight naysayer... describing the book as a curious read.  On the one hand, Ishiguro’s writing is immaculate.  Beautifully worded, precise, and very very clever.  His characterisations are utterly believable and in real depth.  Despite learning next to nothing about Stevens’ personal life, he is a very finely drawn character.  As are Miss Kenton and Lord Darlington too.

However Hamish likes a bit of a story.  And there wasn’t really much of a story.  In that sense he found it a little unsatisfying.  It reflected the low pace of English upper class life perhaps.  He did enjoy Stevens’ reflections on what make a great butler and the German/French conference at Darlington Hall was a highlight. But little happened other than a car running out of petrol.

His other criticism was the almost perverse way that Stevens appeared incapable of recognising Miss Kenton’s feelings.  Stiff upper lip is one thing, but that all seemed a bit excessive. 

So he was not really sure what he took from the book at the end.  Yes, it commented on the state of the English upper classes and political changes between the wars, but he might have preferred a non-fiction account of that. 

Overall, a decent and very artistic read.  Not sure quite why it won the Booker though 

Nick - 10/10

Keith - 8/10

Tristan - 9/10

Robin 10/10

Nigel - 9/10

Hamish - 7.5/10

MUSIC: “Carrie & Lowell” (2015) by Sufjan Stevens

Carrie & Lowell is the seventh studio album by American musician Sufjan Stevens, released through Asthmatic Kitty on March 31, 2015. Unlike Stevens's previous studio album, the electronic The Age of Adz,Carrie & Lowell is sparsely instrumental and marked a return to the performer's indie folk roots.

There was a mixed reaction to Surfjan's sounds - some loved the heartfelt emotion and soul baring others thought it was no One Direction and he needs to cheer up a bit

Hamish hadn’t really got Mr Stevens until this album, but he enjoyed this album immensely.  He saw him play at End of the Road last year, where he was a revelation.  He was supported by a full and fairly loud band.  I wasn’t quite sure how the songs on Carrie and Lowell would fare but they were quite brilliant.  In some ways the album sounded very different with so much backing, but it also made the whole thing far more intense.  Hamish recommends seeing him live if you get the chance.  And Carrie and Lowell is a hit.

FILM: “Punch-Drunk Love” (2002) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Punch-Drunk Love is a 2002 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzmán, and Mary Lynn Rajskub.

In "Punch-Drunk Love," Sandler plays Barry Egan, an executive in a company with a product line of novelty toiletries. Barry has seven sisters, who are all on his case at every moment, and he desperately wishes they would stop invading his privacy, ordering him around and putting him down. He tries at a family gathering to be congenial and friendly, but we can see the tension in his smiling lips and darting eyes, and suddenly he explodes, kicking out the glass patio doors.

"Punch-Drunk Love" is above all a portrait of a personality type. Barry Egan has been damaged, perhaps beyond repair, by what he sees as the depredations of his domineering sisters. It drives him crazy when people nose into his business. He cannot stand to be trifled with. His world is entered by alarming omens and situations that baffle him. The character is vividly seen and the film sympathizes with him in his extremity.

"My Revolutions" (2007) by Hari Kunzru

"My Revolutions" (2007) by Hari Kunzru 

Nigel explained how his "nu-lad" theme (see June 2015 discussion) was a goodie but the associated choices (Keith Nixon - The Fix/Iggy/A Prophet) were let down by the book and he wanted to put that right, whilst still retaining a coherent overarching theme that effectively linked the choices together

Various other excellent books had led to Nigel's book choice for this month...

• Jake Arnott - Johnny Come Home
• Stuart Christie - Granny Made me an Anarchist
• Francis Wheen book - Strange Days Indeed: The Golden Age of Paranoia

So, this era has inspired some great writing, but how would "My Revolutions" fare...?

Nigel primarily hoped to evoke the era, including the paranoia, revolutionary fervour etc - a time when some people really cared about radical politics, and the possibility of a socialist world felt more tangible

Also, by happy coincidence, this was a good follow on from "The Bottle Factory Outing" (see last month) as we were in a similar era

Nigel liked the different concurrent plot lines, which cleverly intertwine various aspects of Mike/Chris life and which primarily focus on his quiet, present day life as a middle class house husband in Chichester, and his former life as an ex-student who drifts into a hardline revolutionary group in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Other plot lines include Chris’s childhood, a few years recovering from addiction in Thailand, and a few more - all are absorbing. 

The present day story gradually comes more and more to the fore and this is what drives the slow burn narrative. Nigel was captivated by both primary plot lines, but especially the descriptions of squats, political meetings in various London locations and beyond, demonstrations, bombings, safe houses, encounter groups, festivals, discussions etc. Mike finally realises the dreams of liberation he'd fought for were illusory, and impossible.

The novel’s elegiac tone perfectly celebrates the era of armed revolutionary struggle, whilst also exploring the madness of extremism, personal identity, relationships, radical politics, violence, gender politics, family, and today’s political landscape. It’s an incredible achievement, brilliantly written and, if you have any interest in the revolutionary armed struggle of the 1970s, you will find much to enjoy.

Cleverly Kunru convinces us that (like all gang members?) Mike/Chris is looking for a new family or somewhere to fit in and thus is very suggestive e.g. Anna at the party encouraging him to call guests pigs, or the transgressive sex.  Mike is always, right until the very end, working to someone else’s agenda - even as a househusband in his modern incarnation - and even more so with Miles using him for his own ends.

Where this book really scores - and what Nigel was hoping for - was in its credible evocation of the era and the revolutionary milieu

The elegiac tone encapsulated by this aside from Miles to Chris when discussing radical politics…

"You were irrelevant, don't you get that? History doesn't care about what you did. Who's even heard of you? Ideology is dead now. Everyone pretty much agrees on how to run things” 

Tristan was very enthusiastic about this book lavishing it with fulsome praise.

Keith raced through the book but struggled to retain much about it

Nick would have enjoyed it much more if he had read it 15 years ago when he lapped up books about the 1970s.  

Hamish loved the revolutionary theme but felt the book was the least good selection of the three choices we discussed.

Scores on the doors...

Nigel 8/10

Tristan 9/10

Keith 8/10

Nick 6/10

Hamish 7/10

MUSIC: Hazy Cosmic Jive presents "Something in the Air”

"Because the revolution's here, and you know it's right…"

This mix aims for an early 70s, mournful, melancholy, wistful, post-hippy comedown vibe.  I’m hoping you’ll be able to smell the unmistakeable tang of a wet Afghan goat, partially masked by patchouli and joss sticks, whilst a news bulletin reports the latest activity of urban guerilla’s The Angry Brigade.  

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO IT ON MIXCLOUD

Tracklist:

Thunderclap Newman - Something In The Air

Brian Protheroe - Pinball 

Faces - Glad and Sorry 

David Bowie - Eight Line Poem 

Bread - The Guitar Man 

Roxy Music - Chance Meeting 

America - A Horse With No Name 

The Rolling Stones - Coming Down Again 

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 

Faces - Debris 

Lesley Duncan - Everything Changes 

Cat Stevens - Where Do The Children Play? 

Jonathan Kelly - Madelaine 

The Rolling Stones - Wild Horses 

Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes 

David Bowie - Quicksand 

Faces - If I’m On The Late Side 

Slade - Everyday 

Nigel explained he was hoping to create a movie type soundtrack to a book he hadn’t read. If he was doing it again, having read the book, he would have thrown in a few more 60s tracks - didn’t realise so much was in the 60s - however he still felt it worked well with its post-hippy comedown vibe.  Key track is  - Thunderclap Newman - Something In The Air - though it is all fukkin ace.  Obvs.

Fortunately everyone was of the same mind: a great musical accompaniment to the book

FILM: One Day In September (1999) directed by Kevin Macdonald

Nigel was looking for a coherent choice to complement the book and the music.

The consensus was that this documentary was a direct hit.  A balanced film that brought home the tragedy and the politics.  The mix of footage from the olympics and more recent interviews was great.  Michael Douglas narration worked well and the music was very effective.  The gross incompetence of the Germans has to be seen to be believed.  Perhaps understandable given their desire to reinvent themselves after Nazism, plusthis was a relatively early example of this type of terrorism.

ENDORSE IT

Tristan: Wild Tales (Argentinian film)

Keith: The Rat Pack (iPlayer)

Nick: What we do in the Shadows (film - on Netflix)

Hamish: Perdido Street Station - novel by China Miéville 

Nigel: Creed (film directed by Ryan Coogler) -  spin-off and sequel to the Rocky series

“The Bottle Factory Outing” (1974) by Beryl Bainbridge

Hats off to Hamish for some inspired choices that kick started our 2016 gatherings with a lively and interesting discussion.

“The Bottle Factory Outing” (1974) by Beryl Bainbridge

Hamish wanted to read a comedic short story so who better than Beryl Bainbridge?  None of us had read anything by this legendary writer whose prolific output included 18 novels, three of which were filmed, two collections of short stories, several plays for stage and television, and many articles, essays, columns and reviews.

She won the Guardian fiction prize and two Whitbread awards, but although five of her novels reached the Booker prize shortlist – The Dressmaker (1973), The Bottle Factory Outing (1974), An Awfully Big Adventure (1989), Every Man for Himself (1996) and Master Georgie (1998) – none of them won it. A scandal?…

Freda and Breda spend their days working in an Italian-run wine-bottling factory. A work outing offers promise for Freda and terror from Brenda; passions run high on that chilly day of freedom, and life after the outing never returns to normal. The Bottle Factory Outing is an offbeat, haunting yet hilarious novel.

It put some of us in mind of hazy recollections of Play For Today (1970s BBC adult drama TV programme), or the more playful work of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach.  It is quintessentially English, and also makes some very astute observations about culture, class, desire, difference, gender differences and human relationships.

Brenda and Freda, the two women at the heart of the book, share a dingy 1970s London bedsit (think Rising Damp) and together they redefine the term “the odd couple”.   In addition to being flatmates, Brenda and Freda are also co-workers at the eponymous Bottle Factory which is an Italian-run north London wine bottling factory predominantly staffed by agricultural workers plucked, by the factory's Italian owner, from a life of subsistence farming in Bologna to London, the relative land of plenty.  They are a tight knit bunch who do not know quite what to make of the two English women in their midst....  

Freda is loud, large and domineering whilst Brenda is compliant, quiet, serious, educated and desperate not to give offence - despite a less than attractive description, and to Freda’s chagrin - Brenda also seems to attract numerous male admirers who try to possess her.  

By the day of the bottle factory’s outing, sexual tensions are running high.  Beyond that, the less you know about the plot the better, suffice it to say that a huge amount happens in a very short space of time (the book is about 200 pages long) and whilst implausible it is consistently inventive, entertaining, insightful, blackly comic and beguiling.

Ratings:

Hamish 7/10

Tristan 6/10

Nigel 7/10

Nick 9.5/10

Keith 6/10

Robin 6.5/10

Beryl Bainbridge discusses The Bottle Factory Outing

“Christmas” (1999) by Low

As we get older Christmas is no longer solely about chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Magic is not always found in waiting up for Santa until 3am but perhaps more in stumbling home full of festive cheer after the Hove Book Group Xmas dinner.  And, with that in mind, Low don’t subscribe to the traditional idea of a Merry Christmas but that didn’t stop us from loving the sound of their jingling, indie gems.

Low’s ‘Just Like Christmas’ underlines a heartbreakingly nostalgic sentiment and is part of perhaps the best record dedicated to the holiday season in recent years

“Smoke Signals” (1998) directed by Chris Eyre

Young Indian man Thomas is a nerd in his reservation, wearing oversize glasses and telling everyone stories no-one wants to hear. His parents died in a fire in 1976, and Thomas was saved by Arnold. Arnold soon left his family (and his tough son Victor), and Victor hasn't seen his father for 10 years. When Victor hears Arnold has died, Thomas offers him funding for the trip to get Arnold's remains, but only if Thomas will also go with him. Thomas and Victor hit the road.

The film was very well received by Hove Book Group except for Nick who, inexplicably, turned it off after 30 minutes

ENDORSE IT

Here’s what the HBG are currently endorsing…

Hamish: Three albums by Low: C’mon / Ones and Sixes / The Invisible Way

Tristan: China Miéville 'The Scar’ / Spenser series by Robert B. Parker 

Nigel: Podcasts - Serial season 1 followed by Undisclosed

Nick: Recomposed By Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons

Keith: Tracker (film)

Robin: Ludovico Einaudi at the Brighton Dome, Fri 11 & Sat 12 Mar 2016

More in about five weeks.  Bring.  It.  On.

2015: End of year review

Every year Hove Book Group takes a look back on the year that was.

Here's our conclusions for 2015...

Our favourite book that we discussed this year

1. “Tigerman” (2014) by Nick Harkaway 

2. “Johnny Got His Gun” (1938) by Dalton Trumbo 

3. "Roadside Picnic” (1971) by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky 

4. "Thank You, Jeeves” (1934) by PG Wodehouse 

5. "To rise again at a decent hour” (2014) by Joshua Ferris 

6. “The Hunger Games” (2008) by Suzanne Collins 

7=. “Caveworld” (2013) by Adam Gnade 

7=. "The Fix” (2013) by Keith Nixon 

9. “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley (1818) 

Our favourite music we discussed this year

1. “Are you Satisfied?” (2015) by Slaves 

2. “The Bends” by Radiohead (1995) 

3 "Everybody Down” (2014) by Kate Tempest 

4 "Nude & Rude: The Best of Iggy Pop" (1996) 

5="The Best Of ? And The Mysterians: Cameo Parkway 1966-1967” (2005) 

5=“2001” by Dr Dre 

5=“The Americans” (2013) by Adam Gnade & The Hot Earth All-Stars 

5=“Four” (2014) by One Direction 

5=“Ukulele Songs” (2011) by Eddie Vedder 

Our favourite film/DVD we discussed this year

1. "The Usual Suspects" (1995) directed by Bryan Singer 

2. "Nick Cave: 20,000 Days On Earth" (2014) 

3. “Scarface" (1983) directed by Brian De Palma 

4. “A Prophet” (2009) dir. by Jacques Audiard 

5. “Into The Wild” (2007) directed by Sean Penn 

6. “Some Like It Hot” (1959) dir by Billy Wilder 

7= "Nightmare Alley" (1947) dir by Edmund Goulding 

7= "The Battle of Orgreave" (2001) documentary by Mike Figgis 

7= “The Wall” (2013) dir by Julian Roman Pölsler 

Our favourite books of the year (not read with Hove Book Group) 

Nigel - "Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys” by Viv Albertine

Robin - The Hobbit - Tolkien 

Nick - Trumbo, The Establishment: And how they get away with it - Owen Jones, The Circle - Dave Eggers, ummmm Special mention for The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson, Bitter Lake, 1971

Tristan - The Secret History, Donna Tartt

Hamish - The Narrow Road To The Deep North by Richard Flanagan. Undoubtedly one of my All Time Top Ten.

What defined 2015 

Nigel - Cancer recovery /  getting a dog

Robin - Travel - Trains in Italy, cycling in the Hamptons, skiing in Germany and 'discovering' Donegal! 

Nick - I can't remember such a depressing year for world news - Syria, refugee crisis, terrorism, FIFA, athletics, Don leaving the book group

Tristan - Celebrating 25 years together with Tamar, which involved trips together to both Berlin and Palma, plus a whole load of festivals.

Hamish - Skiing for the first time since 1998 and finding it still as utterly brilliant as ever.

Best thing about Book Group in 2015

Nigel - varied choices, camaraderie

Robin - my choices

Tristan - You, Nigel. All you.

Hamish - Keith doing a karaoke duet of Don't You Want Me with a Bali Brasserie waitress at the Christmas do

How to make Book Group even better

Nigel - do our best to make time for the books and discussion

Robin - more of my choices

Nick - It is time to set the music adrift

Tristan - Impossible to improve on perfection.

Hamish - Naked dancing girls as we are revealing our scores each month.

What else do we want to say

Nigel - here’s to another great year in 2016

Robin - “God created war so that Americans would learn geography.” ― Mark 

Nick - Merry Christmas

Tristan - Thanks Nigel for your tireless efforts in organising and documenting the HBG gatherings.

Hamish “Malheureusement"

“Johnny Got His Gun” (1938) by Dalton Trumbo

Keith had selected “Johnny Got His Gun” (1938) by Dalton Trumbo which was first published on 3 September 1939, two days after Germany invaded Poland, and is about a 20-year-old American infantryman Joe Bonham who suffers a direct hit from a German shell in the last days of the Great War. Unsurprisingly, its powerful anti-war message also had a profound effect on Americans during the Vietnam era.

Keith explained how "Dalton Trumbo" conveys its anti-war message across 20 short chapters, each explores a different aspect of Joe’s life before the war, or his thoughts on his current predicament. As his thoughts become more lucid, he realises he has been left deaf, dumb and blind and that all four of his limbs have subsequently been amputated. His face has also been disfigured and is covered by a mask to avoid distressing the hospital staff. 9/10

Nigel pointed out that Dalton Trumbo was also a screenwriter and he was later blacklisted and jailed for being a Communist. His political views are to the fore in this convincing argument for peace and cooperation, and against the futility and waste of war. War is explained as "us" versus "them": "us" being the working classes and “them" being those with money who do not do any fighting but whose interests are served by war. Joe also muses on the abstract, nebulous language that is used to justify war - democracy, freedom, liberty etc. 9/10

Hamish talked about a fine line and Billy Bragg, and how, for all the arguments in favour of pacifism it is when Joe is musing on aspects of his life before the war that this book really succeeds. Most of these memories involve moments of loss for Joe, and these mirror the physical losses that Joe has sustained. 8/10

Tristan mused how Johnny Got His Gun is one of the most original, clever and powerful novels he’d ever read. It’s a little uneven in places but overall it’s unforgettable, and rightly regarded as classic American literature. 8/10

Robin

Robin?  Robin, of International Rescue, was saving orangoutangs.  Or was he?  Later reports suggest he was watching a band.  Had he actually read the book?  Some of the HBG naysayers thought not.  

Nick?  Nick was with his pal Mark E Smith however, through the wonders of email, he informed an expectant throng of HBGers thus...   

As i walked out one summer morning, a month in the country, dead mans shoes, slaughterhouse 5, stoner, the road, the book we read the time before last, dogs of war...to the pantheon of greats in Hove's Finest Book Club (TM) comes a new name...Johnny Got his Gun. This near faultless polemic against the horror of war has burnt a hole in my head and my heart....why haven't I heard of this masterpiece before?

The first thing I noticed about it was the way it compares to some of my favourite other books:

Stoner for the undistinguished life and its own implicit polemic against war.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, an autobiography of a man with locked-in syndrome

The war poets

Pat Barker's regeneration

I could go on...

I could call out hundreds of scenes but the most vivid for me were:

Where father and son know they are spending their last camping trip together. Touchingly rendered, heartbreakingly close to every father's heart, He and his father had lost everything, themselves and the rod.

Nick emailed his review

Fighting for a word - motherland, fatherland, homeland native land! It's all the same. What the hell good to you is your native land after you are dead? If you get killed fighting for your native land you've bought a pig in a poke - you've paid for something you'll never collect. The opposite of what we are told to believe by most politicians and leaders - the conflict of the red or the White poppy. This part chimed most closely for me with Stoner and the way he was shunned after choosing not to go to war.

The passage about the German girl, polishing the bomb - this scene detached from its horror and the eventual carnage it causes.

His urgent need to make himself understood through morse code and the idea of him being transported around the country in a glass case.

Keith, my friend, you have chosen wisely - I pity Hamish and his choices.

It is a masterpiece. It is a 10/10.

Amen to that brother.

“Ukulele Songs” (2011) by Eddie Vedder

“Ukulele Songs” was very well received by Keith and Nigel.  Tristan was less enamoured.  No one else appeared to care

“Into The Wild” (2007) directed by Sean Penn

“Into The Wild” annoyed Nigel and Nick.  Keith quite liked it.  Hamish and Tristan really liked it.

“The Hunger Games” (2008) by Suzanne Collins

“The Hunger Games” (2008) by Suzanne Collins

Robin chose this book as he wanted an easy read.  Turns out he wanted a simple, undemanding page turner - and that's what he got.  By the end he was gripped. 9/10

Keith thought it was excellent children's fiction, though the film is better.  8/10

Nick thought it was well written.  8/10

Nigel, ever the contrarian, stated he liked good children's books (e.g the Narnia books and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy) and indeed a bit of dystopian Sci Fi but felt this let down by too many implausible elements.  3/10

Hamish preferred the film but enjoyed the book though was less convinced by the apathy of the society 8/10

"Four" (2014) by One Direction 

Robin loves this album.  For Robin too much modern music is too challenging and so this slick, hook-laden pre-teen pop is more his bag. So much so he was proud to proclaim he lustily sings along in the car at every opportunity  8/10  #realmusic

Nick thought it too manufactured 0/10

Nigel gave it a good listen and concluded it lacked real passion and interest and contained far too much sugary gloss 2/10

Hamish didn't listen to it

Keith has seen them live but confessed this was not really his cup of Earl Grey 1/10

"Some Like It Hot" (1959) directed by Billy Wilder

Everybody love it.  Of course.  A complete classic.

Endorse it...

Nick - Adam Buxton podcast / BBC4 "Music For Misfits" indie music series

Robin - Alex Ferguson leadership doc / Small Faces tribute act the Small Fakers

Nigel - This Is England 90 (Channel 4 TV series by Shane Meadowns) / Francis Wheen - Strange Days Indeed book / Cradle to the Grave - Danny Baker BBC TV series

Hamish - "Narrow Road to the Deep North" by Richard Flanagan - one of the ten best books Hamish has ever read #truedat

Keith - Nowt