Imagine Hugh Grant wearing those big black spectacles that he wore in the film, The Gentlemen, then make him as angry and moody as Gordon Ramsey and as terminally selfish as Boris Johnson, and you might start to get a feel for the ageing artist Ray. Ray is one of the London Arts crowd and, although he hasn't actually done much in way of art over the last few years, he considers himself to be a notable artist and he rules his family through his manipulative behaviour.
His wife, Lucia, is also an artist (think Helena Bonham-Carter), who is actually quite successful in her own right, but she and her three adult children have been conditioned by Ray to see themselves as lesser beings, barely worthy of his attention. His daughter Leah is completely absorbed in Ray's constant needs and rages against her two siblings for never doing enough to help daddy. As you read through the book, there will be plenty of times where the whole family dynamic will infuriate you, but never too the point where you want to abandon the book because the writing is compelling and you really need to know is if Ray ever gets the come-uppance he so richly deserves.
The book focuses on a point in Ray's life when he has decided he must have an grand exhibition of his work, and the exhibition must take priority over everyone and everything else. Parts of the book read almost like a an old-fashioned farce, with hardly anyone managing to utter a complete sentence, let alone get to a point, and you can imagine all the household choreography as family members take it in turns to hide from, or search for, one another.
I can only assume that Charlotte Mendelson lives among this breed of chaotic middle class people as her observations on how they live seem so accurate that she must be writing from experience. This is book is cleverly written and if you are even a tad middle class, then you will certainly love it.
Comments
Post a Comment