Dec 29, 2019
This is an extremely dated and often quite nasty novel parodying the boom in self-help and psychotherapy in the 1970s. In some ways it’s fascinating to read because it’s often hard to work out what Amis is satirising! It’s like hearing a very drunk man tell you the punchline to a joke having forgotten the set-up.
As always with Amis there are bits that made me laugh, particularly the chapter titles. Chapter 9: Guilt and Shame. Chapter 10: Wanker! And the description of Jake’s bowels ‘emitting moans of poignant grief’. But overall the experience reminded me of visiting a house where people still smoke inside. Curiously nostalgic, but not altogether pleasant.