It’s World Book Day (in the UK and Ireland – elsewhere it’s on cervantes’ and Shakespeare’s birthday – but never mind), so to mark the occasion do you have any recommendations you’re urging to foist on me or my other faithful reader.
I like Lem, Ballard, Banville, Roth, AL Kennedy, Alasdair Gray, David Peace, Janice Galloway, Jim Kelman, John Harvey, le Carre, Simenon, Sjowall and Wahloo, Ivan Klima, Andrey Kurkov &c. (to give you an idea of the type of character you would be recommending for).
I don’t like more recent Ian McEwan, or novels about butlers that don’t have the Wodehouse stamp on them (I mean Remains of the Day mainly – but it’s a broad rule of thumb I work with).
If you recommend one for me – and tell me who you like I’ll repeat the favour with a recommendation from my bookshelves.
Sounds like you need some Christopher Brookmyre, seeing as he’s the closest to the missing link between Alasdair Gray and David Peace. Try Boiling A Frog.
very weird, before i saw the comments I had been going to recommend brookmyre.
Ok then, perhaps as a similar-ish to CB alternative try jasper fforde: maybe “well of lost plots”
Walter Moers The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear. Alasdair Gray meets Tove Jansson.
Michael Frayn, especially “Towards the End of Morning” and “Sweet Dreams”.
David Lodge, especially “How Far Can You Go?” and “The British Museum is Falling Down”.
Christopher Priest, especially “The Affirmation” and the “Dream Archipelago” short stories.
Evelyn Waugh, especially the “Sword of Honour” trilogy and “A Handful of Dust” (and “The Loved One”).
Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Much-hyped Swedish crime novel, but worth every bit of the raving!
Have you tried Ken Bruen? Two series — the very bleak Jack Taylor series, set in Galway, and the dark humour of the South London series, featuring a very dysfunctional set of cops!