All the time I was reading _King of the Ants,_ I didn't much
like it, and at times I actively disliked it. The protagonist
is a sort of English slacker; there's enough of a back
history to show he comes from a pleasant middle-class family
and went to college for a while, but not enough background to
explain why he has no contact with his family or the middle
class today. He does describe a Bad Seed episode in
considerable detail--ick!
Sean Crawley's bare-bones lifestyle
is described in an interesting way, though--his work or lack
thereof, his friends or lack thereof, his future or lack
thereof, his bicycle. He knows great things await him, but he
knows not what. To him, his raison d'etre seems to be
unfolding when he is approached to do some private
investigator work--follow a local government official and
write down everything he does and everywhere he goes. Things
happen: horrendous things, hilarious things, appalling
things.
In the end, I was surprised to
discover that I liked the book. Part of my liking is the
satisfying denouement, and part is the relentless portrayal
of a not very sympathetic character that overall rings so
true. I'll look for something else by Higson when I've made
some progress on this stack of BritNoir. Does anyone know if
Sean Crawley is a continuing character?
Next up, Christopher Brookmyre's
_Quite Early One Morning._
Joy, who thanks all of you who offered reading list
suggestions
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