Mayflies (2020) by Andrew O’Hagan

 We met on Wednesday 11 May 2022 to discuss Hamish's unthemed choices….

READ: Mayflies (2020) by Andrew O’Hagan

Hamish stumbled across this book in Waterstones and responded to its down-to-earth style. It’s a heartfelt book about youth, friendship, death, and what it is to be human. 

For anyone who lived through the 1980s, and enjoyed the indie music of the era, this will resonate. The first part of the book embraces this era via a weekend trip to Manchester in 1986 for a group of Scottish friends. The passion and intensity of teenage life is stunningly evoked and this is clearly written from first hand experience. 

In part two, we are in 2017 and we revisit some of the characters in middle age. Much has changed. Many of us read the second part with lumps in our throats and tears in our eyes. It's moving, vivid and memorable.

Most of us were impressed although Tristan and Keith were less effusive.

Nick 8.5 / Tristan 6.5 / Nigel 8 / Keith 7 / Roland 8.5 / Robin 7.5 / Hamish 7.5

LISTEN: Homecoming (2021) by Du Blonde

Hamish enjoyed the chugging sounds. Nick was more damning stating there is
nothing remotely original about it, indeed it’s all highly derivative. Robin didn’t listen! Roland thought it didn’t work. Keith thought it was decent enough. Tristan and Nigel were far more positive, poopooing the naysayers and curmudgeons.

WATCH: The Tribe (2014) dir by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy

An usual film all related in Ukrainian sign language with no subtitles, so akin to watching a silent film.  Or, what it’s like for a deaf person to watch a film with dialogue and no subtitles. This device means the viewer has to pay close attention, and it slows down the storytelling. The content is very downbeat and depressing. A criminal gang operates from within a deaf school in Kyiv. How or why this is happening is never explained. It’s all pretty implausible. One of their rackets is prostitution and, as one new pupil rises up through the criminal gang, he also falls for one of the prostitutes. Suffice to say it does not end happily and there’s nothing to smile about during this intensely downbeat film.

HBG endorse it: 7 April 2022 -> 11 May 2022

The Atlanta History Centre

Melrose to Lindisfarne walk

Succession party

The Riwaq (Hove venue - Brighton festival)

Hofesh Schecter (Live dance)

The Street (2019) documentary dir by Zed Nelson (Prime)

Slow Horses (Apple TV)

Severance (Apple TV)

Ted Lasso (Apple TV)

Arsène Wenger: Invincible (2021) Dir by Gabriel Clarke & Christian Jeanpierre (Film) (Prime)

Navalny documentary (BBC iPlayer)

Panorama: The Post Office Scandal (BBC iPlayer)

Who You Think I Am (2019)  dir by Safy Nebbou (Film) (Netflix)

Better Call Saul (Season 6 - Netflix)

Gazza documentary (BBC iPlayer)

Lady Bee Marina (Southwick)

Ouse Valley (north of Lewes)

Foka Wolf (Artist)

Midsommar (2019) dir by Ari Aster (Film)

The Sparks Brothers (2021) dir by Edgar Wright (Film) (Netflix)

Wet Leg (live music)

Wet Leg debut LP (2022)

Olive Kitteridge (2008) by Elizabeth Strout

 *Theme - Loss of childhood* - Wednesday 6 April 2022

READ: Olive Kitteridge (2008) by Elizabeth Strout

Tristan’s Mum recommended this novel and it was an inspired choice. To varying degrees, and as the ratings below confirm, we all found much to enjoy and appreciate.

The novel is a series of interlinked short stories centred around the citizens of a small coastal town in Maine, not least the eponymous Olive Kitteridge who is a wonderful character: straight talking and brusque, but this belies a perceptive, caring side which she usually keeps well hidden.

The cumulative effect of the short stories gradually start to pack an emotional punch, stories which shine a convincing light on the drama and disappointments of ordinary lives. That it's also sporadically funny only makes the reading experience even richer and more satisfying.

For a novel which contains a lot of incident and tragedy and which includes violence, loneliness, suicide, death, eating disorders, divorce, murder, religious fundamentalists, hate, infidelity, trauma, hostage taking, and more, this is ultimately a positive and joyous book. A celebration of the everyday and the commonplace, and a reminder to make the most of the time we have whilst we still have to repair relationships, fall in love, help someone, etc. Ultimately it's these moments which give life meaning and value.

This is small town life writ large and a very worthy Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner.

Thanks Tristan’s Mum

Nick 9 / Tristan 9 / Nigel 9 / Keith 8 / Roland 9 / Robin 8.5 / Hamish 8

LISTEN: 50 Song Memoir (2017) by The Magnetic Fields

Stephin Merritt has never been afraid to think big, at least as far as his music is concerned, and his ad-hoc group the Magnetic Fields enjoyed their breakthrough with the wildly ambitious 1999 set 69 Love Songs, a three-disc collection featuring, yes, 69 songs about love. While that album bests 2017's 50 Song Memoir by 19 tracks, in nearly all other respects, 50 Song Memoir is a project of even greater scale and scope. Begun as Merritt was celebrating his 50th birthday, 50 Song Memoir finds him embracing pop songs as the medium for an autobiography, with each of the 50 tracks representing a different year in his life.

But is it any good? Most of us found it a bit meh. Hamish dubbed it the triumph of concept over content however Nick and Robin were very positive,

WATCH: Rocks (2019) directed by Sarah Gavron (Netflix)

We all enjoyed this social-realist adventure written by Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson and directed by Sarah Gavron about a multi-ethnic community in East London which evokes the spirit of Ken Loach’s Kes or Céline Sciamma’s Bande Des Filles. It’s about a group of year 11 girls and a Nigerian British girl nicknamed “Rocks”, who whilst no great academic high-flier is really talented at cosmetics. Her dad is dead and she lives with her troubled mum, who has had, as a social worker delicately puts it, issues managing her medication.

Rocks has the responsibility of minding her kid brother, Emmanuel and there’s trouble when Rocks’s mum absents herself from the family home.

A low, British indie gem that is the antithesis of a Hollywood blockbuster.

HBG endorse it: 10 March 2022 -> 6 April 2022

The Nile Hilton Incident (2017) dir by Tarik Saleh

Operator Starsky (Ukrainian YouTuber)

House of Maxwell (iPlayer)

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017) dir by Macon Blair (Netflix)

Best bits montage at the end of the final BBC Kermode & Mayo podcast

Things Fall Apart podcast by Jon Ronson (BBC Sounds)

The Ukrainian flag (again)

Putin (BBC Sounds)

The South Downs Way

Top Boy (Netflix)

Winchester (English City)

Boiling Point (2021) dir by Philip Barantini (Netflix)

The Gentlemen (2019) dir by Guy Ritchie (Netflix)

The Witch Finder (BBC iPlayer)

Sherlock Holmes (2009) dir by Guy Ritchie

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) dir by Guy Ritchie

Heart of Darkness (1899) by Joseph Conrad

 *Theme - The horror, the horror…* - Thursday 10 March 2022

READ: Heart of Darkness (1899) by Joseph Conrad

Nick described Heart of Darkness as the longest short book you will ever read. It’s true. Despite its modest length (c100 pages) this dense work is surprisingly hard work. Tristan labelled it both archaic and enlightened. Roland noted that it confronted the other and added he was enthralled whilst simultaneously hating it.

English was Conrad's third language and he learnt it at age 20. The book's dense and challenging, almost poetic feel, apparently in part comes from his struggle with the English language.

Most of us love Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now and were introduced to this as the source novel for that cinematic masterpiece.

It is also autobiographical. Joseph Conrad travelled up the Congo River from one Belgian station to another and, when the captain fell ill, Conrad assumed command. It has that ring of authenticity.

What do Kurtz's enigmatic last words 'The horror! The horror!' refer to? Some thought it most likely a reference to the atrocities Conrad witnessed in Congo under the colonial administration of the Belgians. Others were not so convinced. Either way, the darkness at the heart of the "civilised" colonialists is personified by Kurtz who eventually becomes a murderous tyrant.

One of the most influential books around and, for that alone, it's worth a read however, those coming to it seeking the resonance of Coppola's Vietnam epic, may feel a little underwhelmed.

Nick 7 / Tristan 6 / Nigel 6 / Keith 6 / Roland 7 / Robin 6 / Hamish -

LISTEN: The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails

Music for teenagers… angry, intense, brooding etc. Quite enjoyable in small doses, or is it? Tristan said yes. Keith and Robin said no. Others were somewhere in the middle.

Closer is good, and Hurt is wonderful. But which is the definitive version? Johnny Cash or Nine Inch Nails? 

WATCH: Surge directed by Aneil Karia (Netflix)

We were all impressed by Ben Whishaw’s central performant and the London street scenes. Ben Wishaw is brilliant as the airport security officer unravelling before our eyes as he goes on an odyssey of crazed chaos on the streets of London. 

It's a tense watch, but to what end? Does this commentary on mental illness warrant a feature length film? There's no real narrative arc and it's all very one note. 

Impressive, but ultimately a bit pointless?

Uncut Gems does something similar but is perhaps more impactful?

HBG endorse it: 10 February 2022 -> 10 March 2022

The Puppet Master (Netflix)

The Dripping Pan (Lewes FC ground)

The Lewes Arms (Pub)

Jay Wobble (Live music)

The Caxton Arms (Pub)

Mandy (iPlayer)

I Called Him Morgan (Netflix)

Ghosts (iPlayer)

This is Going To Hurt (iPlayer)

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall (Book)

The Pharmacist (Netflix)

Searching For Italy (iPlayer)

Ukrainian flag

The Godfather (film - back in cinemas for 50th anniversary)

Next time

Next time out we are discussing Tristan's choices….

*Loss of childhood*

READ: Olive Kitteridge (2008) by Elizabeth Strout

LISTEN:  50 Song Memoir (2017) by The Magnetic Fields

WATCH: Rocks (2019) directed by Sarah Gavron (Netflix)

The Year of Magical Thinking (2005) by Joan Didion

 *Theme - Mourning Glory* - Wednesday 9th February 2022

A Covid ravaged squad took to a table at The Ancient Mariner to discuss Roland's Mourning Glory themed choices. In attendance were Hamish, Keith, Tristan and Nigel with Robin, Nick and Roland submitting written contributions….

READ: The Year of Magical Thinking (2005) by Joan Didion

Joan Didion died just before Xmas 2021 inspiring Roland to urgently undertake an investigation into Joan’s work. The Netflix documentary increased Roland’s enthusiasm and so it was he unleashed 'The Year of Magical Thinking’ on his HBG compadres.

Roland stated this account of the unexpected death of Joan’s husband was both mundane and strangely captivating in equal measure. Enjoyable whilst not outstanding. 

Nick, by contrast, was unable to contain his love for this book, lavishing it with a maximum score and liberally sprinkling words like profound, exceptional, heartbreaking, and wonderful into his gushing review.

No one else came close to Nick’s fulsome reaction despite finding plenty of merit in Joan’s memoir about the trauma of her husband’s death and daughter’s life threatening illness. 

Hamish found it a little uneven: great opening, forgettable middle, before picking up again towards the end. 

Some of us were interested by Joan’s precise, detached, matter-of-fact style with its focus on the day to day stuff like dates, flights, phone calls, articles etc.

Keith found it worthwhile but would not recommend it.

Nigel had very high expectations however was ultimately disappointed despite finding some merits with the memoir.

Undeterred, Nigel went straight on to read one of Joan’s early novels ‘Play It As It Lays’ which he described as “much more like it”. Turns out he was blown away by its bleak cynicism, and powerful evocation of the emotional and ethical hollowness beneath Hollywood’s glittering surface. 

Robin liked Joan’s effortless style but found it repetitive.

Tristan praised the theme, especially given our death-averse culture. The book is not a great advertisement for the US healthcare system except if, like Joan, you have the resources to pay for the best.

Overall a great theme and a provocative book which inspired an enjoyable and interesting discussion

Nick 10 / Tristan 7 / Nigel 5 / Keith 6 / Roland 6 / Robin 7 / Hamish 6

Depleted squad

LISTEN: Hymn to Nikkal by Clare O’Connell - from The Isolated Cellist (2021) LP

This mournful piece of neo-classical, droney cello action was universally liked. Keith exclusively revealed it was based on the oldest musical score in existence. 

We were unsure how or why Roland had chosen it beyond his comment that he enjoys both minimalist classical and this song. 

WATCH: Pieces of a Woman (2020) dir by Kornél Mundruczó (Netflix)

Well made, emotional, beautifully acted, sensitive score, downbeat, and very depressing, a film that puts the viewer through the emotional wringer. 

Some of us criticised it lack of nuance, one-note tone and one dimensional characters whilst Robin and Roland were more enthusiastic about the film’s merits.

We wondered why Matha's Mum Elizabeth was so hellbent on pursuing a legal action, and why it took until the end of the film for Martha to state she did not blame the midwife for the death of the baby.

We agreed there was a great film in there, but that film would probably focus solely on the couple and the breakdown of their relationship. 

Nick - / Tristan 5 / Nigel 4 / Keith - / Roland 7 / Robin 8 / Hamish 3

Endorse it: 7 January 2022 - 9 February 2022

Watchmen (Now TV)

Franz Liszt (Music)

Nightmare Alley (2021) (Film)

Unclassified (BBC Sounds)

The Times Square Killer (Netflix)

The Responder (iPlayer)

Couples Therapy (iPlayer)

Nightmare Alley (2021) dir by Guillermo del Toro (Film)

Nick Frost – Truths, Half Truths & Little White Lies (Book)

Giant Little Ones (2018) dir by Keith Behrman (iPlayer)

Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell (2021) by John Preston (Book)

Toast in Tinseltown (iPlayer)

Andy Warhol’s America (iPlayer)

Summer of Soul dir by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson (Disney+)

Four Thousand Weeks Embrace Your Limits (2021) by Oliver Burkeman (Book)

Next time

Next time out we are discussing Nick’s  choices

*Theme - The horror, the horror…*

READ: Heart of Darkness (1899) by Joseph Conrad

LISTEN: The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails

WATCH: Surge directed by Aneil Karia (Netflix)

Tristan will be unveiling the choices for our April 2022 discussion

Cocaine Nights (1996) by JG Ballard

On Thursday 6th January 2022 we met at The Brewers Arms in Lewes. Hang on, aren’t you the Hove Book Group? We are indeed, but as Robin now lives in Lewes he selected the venue. We were all keen to sample the delights of Lewes too.

We were discussing Robin’s Viva Espagna themed choices - although Tristan dubbed the choices "Spain not Spain" as they all featured non-Spanish people in Spain

READ: Cocaine Nights (1996) by JG Ballard

LISTEN:  Viva Espagna playlist 

WATCH: Sexy Beast (2000) dir by Jonathan Glazer

READ: Cocaine Nights (1996) by JG Ballard

Some of us had previously read and enjoyed The Atrocity Exhibition (1970), Crash (1973), and High-Rise (1975)

HBG had also watched the film adaptation of High Rise 

Like High-Rise, Cocaine Nights is about a post-industrial community cut off from the rest of the world, and the power dynamics within.

In the expat community of Estrella de Mar, JG Ballard seems to be asking…

• Can you have too much of the good life?
• What happens when the boredom sets in? 
• What do you do when the good life starts to look like a living death? 

Posing as a whodunnit, or perhaps more accurately a whydunnit, Cocaine Nights is a tale awash with drugs, violence, pornography, and the odd psychiatrist. 

Bobby Crawford, the charismatic tennis pro, is a great character and his belief that there’s a link between crime and community engagement is a winner.

Needless to say the ideas here are more important than the crime, sex, and drugs fuelled plot

Most of us found it provocative and enjoyable. 

Nick 7 / Tristan 6 / Nigel 7 / Keith 7 / Roland 5 / Robin 5 / Hamish 9

LISTEN:  Spanish Bombs playlist (Spotify)

Any playlist which starts with The Clash is alright in our book. Spanish Bombs is far and away the best tune on this playlist. 

Spanish Harlem is quite the gear change, and Ezra’s Barcelona even more so. Some of us couldn't get with Ezra’s voice. 

The Tallest Man On Earth’s King of Spain gets things back on track. Great and underrated tune.

None of us had ever heard of Holden or their Madrid but the retro, spaghetti western vibes and sultry vocals got a double thumbs up. 

Spanish Caravan by The Doors is fab. 

We queried how Cuba’s Buena Vista qualified for the playlist but Robin said they were singing in Spanish so there you have it and Chan Chan is superb.

Next up grumpy Van M’s Spanish Steps instrumental was a tad insipid

Frxxer were another new name. More Cockney than Spanish. Some horrible autotune in the middle. We couldn’t work out what it was about but presumed it was all about a weekend in Alicante?

Mink de Ville’s Spanish Stroll is an all time great and the other real highlight after The Clash

Penultimate tune by Hendrix seems a bit jarring after Mink DeVille. A few of us agreed his sound has aged quite badly.

Finally it’s Foals. 

A mixed response. 

Would Sketches of Spain by Miles Davies have been a better fit?

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4X8oJ2hS7smQy6EAPofwAe?si=z57u1jKUQ8aE8GSxAdoguQ&nd=1

WATCH: Sexy Beast (2000) dir by Jonathan Glazer

Robin 

An accomplished Brit Gangster flick with Ray Winstone playing an out of condition, retired criminal who just wants to be left alone. Ben Kingsley’s psycho is maybe too overcooked and unrealistic but it’s a memorable performance none the less. Lots of subtle references to other gangster flicks, not least Performance via a cameo by Edward Fox. The script, performances, location and direction are what elevate it from more run of the mill fare. Very enjoyable.

HBG endorse it: 11 November 2021 ->

East West Street (2017) by Philippe Sands (Book)

I Love Dick (Prime)

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty (2021) by Patrick Radden Keefe (Book)

Who They Was (2020) by Gabriel Krause (Book)

A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood (2019) dir by Marielle Heller (Netflix)

Basically, Johnny Moped (Netflix)

Outlaws (BBC iPlayer)

Mr Jones (2019) dir by Agnieszka Holland (Prime)

American Utopia (2020) dir by Spike Lee

The Power of the Dog (2021) dir by Jane Campion (Netflix)

Green Knight (2021) dir by David Lowery (Prime)

Get Back (2021) (Beatles doc dir by Peter Jackson) (Disney +)

WH Lung (live music)

We are Ladyparts (All4)

Dave (iPlayer)

Proclaimers: This is the Story (iPlayer)

Hit the Road (2022) dir by Panah Panahi 

Power of the Dog (2021) dir by Jane Campion

The Sparks Brothers (2021) dir by Edgar Wright

Hellbound (Netflix)

Succession Series 3 (NOW TV)

What We Do In The Shadows - Series 3 (BBC iPlayer)

Portrait of a Lady On Fire (BBC iPlayer)

Sorry to Bother You (2018) dir by Boots Riley

And Away… (2021) by Bob Mortimer (Book/audiobook)

The Lost Daughter (Netflix)

The Nest (Netflix)

Anne (ITV player)

Next time

Next time out we are discussing Roland's choices….

*Theme - Mourning Glory*

READ: The Year of Magical Thinking (2005) by Joan Didion

LISTEN: Hymn to Nikkal by Clare O’Connell - from The Isolated Cellist (2021) LP

WATCH: Pieces of a Woman (2020) dir by Kornél Mundruczó (Netflix)

HOVE BOOK GROUP: End of year review 2021

HOVE BOOK GROUP: End of year review 2021

On Thursday 9th December 2021 Hove Book Group took its customary look back over the year that was. Hamish was the only member not in attendance. Sadly he was self isolating having tested positive for C-19. Not only did he miss a most convivial evening he was also not on hand to receive the accolades for nominating our favourite HBG read of 2021

The hardest working book group in Hove

2021 in review…

Favourite read

* 1 Days Without End by Sebastian Barry (Hamish) - 15 *

2 Boy Parts by Eliza Clark (Nigel) - 6

3 Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell (Tristan) - 5

The Man Who Fell To Earth by Walter Tevis (Nigel) -3

Wilding by Isabella Tree (Robin) - 3

The Zero by Jess Walter (Hamish) - 3

A Small Revolution in Germany by Philip Hensher (Keith) - 3

How to rule the world by Tibor Fischer (Keith) - 2

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (Roland) 2

Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth (Nick)

Favourite music

1 Loving The Alien - Bowie playlist (Nigel) - 9 

2 Power Corruption Lies by New Order (Keith) 8

3 Keith’s Sonic Youth playlist (Keith) - 6

Promises by Floating Points (Roland) - 4

Nocturnes by Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus (Hamish) - 4

Is The Comma Important? playlist (Hamish) - 3

You are the Quarry by Morrissey (Nick) - 3

Planet Earth playlist (Robin) - 2

Cut by The Slits (Tristan) - 3

Psycho playlist (Nigel)

Favourite watch

1 Abigail’s Party dir by Mike Leigh (Tristan) - 7

1 Chinatown dir by Roman Polanski (Nick) - 7

1 If…. dir by Lindsay Anderson (Keith) - 7

Aliens dir by James Cameron (Nigel) - 5

That Obscure Object of Desire dir by Luis Buñuel (Hamish) - 3

American Psycho dir by Mary Hannon (Nigel) - 3

Brooklyn dir by John Crowley (Hamish) - 3

Blackfish dir by Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Robin) - 1

Troy dir by Wolfgang Petersen (Roland) 

Deep Fakes: Can You Trust Your Eyes? - All 4 (Keith) 

Favourite theme

1 Loving The Alien (Nigel) - 9

1 1970s Britain (Tristan) - 9

2 Cancel Culture (Nick) - 8

Psycho (Nigel) - 6

Power Corruption and Lies (Keith) - 4

Rebellious Youth (Keith) - 3

How to Save the Planet (Robin) - 1

Thumbs up to America (Hamish)

Troy (Roland)

Terrorism (Hamish)

Best book you read in 2021 (could be a Book Group choice or something else)

Throw Me to the Wolves by Patrick McGuinness (Nigel)

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark (Roland) 

Days Without End by Sebastian Barry (Robin + Tristan)

One, Two, Three, Four - The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown (Nick)

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (Hamish)

Memorable 2021 HBG moments

Being able to meet in person (Robin)

Disembodiment of James Bond myth (Roland)

It is a reminder that talking with subjects other than the pandemic is a very healthy thing to do (Nick)

The ongoing debate about album of the year, Floating Points. Getting back in the pub. Seeing you all in the flesh (not literally thankfully!) (Hamish)

Beach gathering, or was that last year? (Tristan)

Best thing about Book Group in 2021

An oasis of easy companionship in a busy and confusing world (Nigel)

Cognitive synchronisation between Nigel and Roland (Roland)

The participants (Robin)

Getting out of the house was good - going to the beach and the beer garden (Nick)

Best set of book choices in many a year - keep it up dudes!! (Hamish)

Just being there - a refuge in this mad covid-ridden world (Keith)

Signal group chat (Tristan)

What defined 2021 for you (news item, something personal etc.)

Covid and a return to relative normality - long may it continue (Nigel)

Acceptance of the glorious mundane (Roland)

Head in the sand nature of politicians (Robin)

Getting back out there - from seeing gigs to travelling for work again. Just not always being a head on a zoom call (Nick)

Hey What!, Water Snails, Black Country, Vaccination, Bewicks Swan, Cathedrals, New Road, Dukes at Komedia, Vurger (Hamish)

New job (Keith)

Pandemic (Tristan)

How do we make Book Group even better?

A reliably quiet and comfortable venue (Nigel)

To solemnly swear never to never alter its ranks (Roland)

The endless quest for the right pub (Robin)

I say the same every year so won't repeat (Nick)

Make sure we do the Devil’s Dyke trip even if it’s chilly (Tristan)

Visit Lewes (Hamish)

What else do you want to say?

HBG will be 17 years old in January 2022 (Nigel)

Marvellous (Robin)

Well done all! (Nick)

Watch the film Hit The Road, an Iranian masterpiece. I love you all. And Happy Christmas! (Hamish)

Just a hearty thank you (Keith)

Nowt (Tristan)

Boy Parts (2020) by Eliza Clark

 Boy Parts (2020) by Eliza Clark

Nigel wanted to take HBG back into more unfamiliar territory. HBG is old, southern and male and so it was time to experience life for someone who is young, northern and female. An inverse HBG if you will.

*Theme - Psycho*

Irina is probably a psycho and so the theme was born.

READ: Boy Parts (2020) by Eliza Clark

Eliza Clark's debut novel is powerful and subversive and everyone was impressed. Some felt that the novel did not maintain its strong start and the last third was less satisfying. 

The hard bitten, angry and cynical Irina, a young graduate artist, photographs men she meets. During the photography sessions she wields power and control. Irina's first person narration, all in a credible, modern vernacular, gets ever more extreme and unreliable as the story unfolds.

Boy Parts most closely resembles Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho. The violence here might not be quite so full on however the exploration of sexual assault, narcissism, rage, gaslighting, emotional manipulation, eating disorders, and drug abuse is every bit as provocative and blackly comedic.

Having a female psycho subverts the predatory stereotype. Irina is a stunning, monstrous protagonist and Boy Parts is dark and disturbing. We can't wait to discover what Eliza Clark does next.

Nick 7 / Tristan 8.5 / Nigel 8 / Keith 7 / Roland 9 / Robin 8.5 / Hamish 7

LISTEN: Psycho playlist

Psycho Killer is one of the greatest songs of all time

Talking Heads are one of the greatest bands of all time

The rest are old favourites with psycho in the title - annoyingly Spotify was missing a few Nigel would have included. 

WATCH: American Psycho (2000) dir by Mary Harron

Many prominent feminists expressed outrage at the original novel

After director Mary Harron turned it into a film it became one of the most prominent works of feminist cinema of the early 2000s

The dark comedy offers a biting, satirical look at toxic masculinity

It’s a world where the other men around Bateman are so oblivious to his psychotic tendencies that he literally gets away with murder

When the film came out in 2000 Christian Bale was nowhere near as well known and his performance was a big part of establishing him as an A lister

Stand up really well

Nick - / Tristan 8 / Nigel 9 / Keith 8 / Roland 8.5 / Robin 7 / Hamish 7

HBG endorse it: 19 Oct 2021 ->

Guilt (BBC iPlayer)

Joker (2019) dir by Todd Phillips (Prime)

Stath Lets Flats (All4)

Add to Playlist (BBC Sounds)

The Trick (BBC iPlayer)

Squid Game (Netflix)

Another Round (Film)

The Flight Attendant (NowTV)

Succession - Season 3 (NowTV)

Owning a football club

Yussef Dayes live in concert

My Name (Netflix)

Fatboy Slim in concert

The Lighthouse (Netflix)

Reservation Dogs (Disney +)