Plume

"Care of Wooden Floors" and "The Way Inn" were two of my favourite novels from a new author in the last few years; the latter in particular was so original and utterly hilarious. So on the announcement of "Plume", I was really looking forward to another book from Will Wiles."Plume" is very well-written, expertly told and well thought out with excellent character writing. But despite this, I just didn't enjoy it. In Wiles' previous works, the Kafka-esque journey bordered on slapstick hilarity, whereas "Plume" is a much more serious read and a darker, often gloomy tale with a greater sense of unease. In fact, I probably smiled once throughout the book – don't be mislead by the cover reviews exclaiming the book's hilarity. I didn't find it funny at all.This is mostly down to the fact our protagonist Jack Bick, is an alcoholic. We are thrown into the world of addiction and how that need takes priority over everything else. It's a sensitive, often uncomfortable topic, but I found I had no empathy for the character whatsoever and felt nothing but revulsion and frustration at Bick's pathetic and continual desperation.There is a slightly surreal edge to "Plume" in parts, but in general it is very much down-to-earth, taking a bitter and cynical look at trendy London life in the clichéd unreality of Shoreditch combined with the rise of a new social media platform, Tamesis.My biggest frustration was yet to come, with the eventual conclusion which somehow felt like it belonged in another story. The end of the book felt hurried and not particularly satisfying.

I think this is his best novel so far. It's has a lot of the creeping tense awfulness of Care of Wooden Floors, and plenty of the state-of-us-now feeling of The Way Inn, all bound together by a pervading sense of the state, direction and character of London itself. Almost as much as the city and the troubles of the protagonist, our relationship with data and our phones and the companies that control them, crime, gentrification, alcoholism... it packs a lot in - but bound together in a plot that drives forward assuredly. And if that sounds pretentious, it's not - he's not *trying* to be clever, he is. He writes with great clarity and humour.Great book, heartily recommended.

Will Wiles has a gift for writing with quirky humour. His new novel 'Plume' shows the same skills but because it is a reflection of personal experience (especially alcoholism as he makes clear) this book has greater seriousness and depth than those before. Readers should not be put off by a slow start and some tedious digressions about journalism. The pace quickens and the quirky hallucinations of the start turn into conundrums of reality and fantasy played out in the context of a stressful London office.

V much enjoyed this. The way he writes about addiction is really evocative and uncomfortably convincing. I wish there had been some proper female characters, not just the usual cardboard cutouts: uptight boss, put-upon girlfriend, prissy neighbour.

Bought this for Wife who was disappointed, "very slow, difficult to follow" was her quote, his first book was excellent (Care Of Wooden Floors) was really enjoyable and his second book (The Way In) was not quite so good.