The Gobbler by Adrian Edmonson
Julian Mann, the hard drinking, preening, and sexually provocative star of the hit TV sitcom "Richard the Nerd", feels caught on the horns of dilemma: Should he be concentrating on his careers, which is on the slide after an unseemly bout of fisticuffs at the BAFTA awards; or following his baser instints and bedding every young girl in sight?
His twin dreams of comic immortality and a penthouse flat full of booze and young models seem to be frustrated by his wife and children; by Tom, his wifes best friends from university days, a pretentious 'National Theatre Player' who appears to be competing with Julian on the small screen and in the bedroom; by the tax man, who's chasing him for sixty thousand pounds; and by Llilith, a psychotic fan, and member of a strange Herculean cult whose eight-year cycle of death and rebirth migh augur Julians imminent nemesis....
This book was a real surprise for me. I know Adrian Edmondson from "The Young Ones" and "Bottom" and was kind of expecting a smilair silliness from this book. Its not like that at all, the comedy here is very dark. Julian is truly a pathetic person, a bubling idiot who is convinced he is the king of comedy, a drunken buffoon who casually shags anything he can get, yet is jealous of his wifes friend Tom (Rightly though, Tom is a truly oily git). Watching Julian stubmle from disaster to disaster and generally make a complete wreck of his life is almost painful sometimes. You really feel sorry for his wife. I enjoyed this book though, after the initial suprise it was a pleasure to discover just what a good writer Edmondson is. Not everyones cup of coffee, read it if you like your comedy strong, black, and without sugar. I give it 7.5 out of 10 (8 if you like biting satire).
*Possible spoilers*
Fave bit: When Julian burns down his house trying to make his son a ship in a bottle. His idiocy knows no limits
Quotes: "Dont give me that" Julian snapped "I may not have a degree, but I can spot a complete wanker when I see one"
"Stop ringing the f*cking doorbell and call the fire brigade, you c*nt!" (Said when burning down his house obviously <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />)
Last edited by Mandrake; 15/08/03 11:05 AM.