A is for Angelica

I was alerted to this by Myke Hurley on Twitter, someone I know purely from his tech-related podcasts on the 70 Decibels network. My reading list is ridiculously long, so adding to it is not really something I need to be doing. But somehow, not only did this book get added to my queue, not only did it appear at the top of my queue, but it somehow got read, finished and starred before I knew what had happened.

And d'you know why that was?

Because it's very good, that's why!

Honestly though, I've been slogging through the audiobook of Dance with Dragons for weeks now. My non-audio reading is dedicated right now to getting through Kourosh Dini's OmniFocus book (nearly there) and my coffee table book of Soviet pictures.

A is for Angelica was such a refreshing change, a breath of fresh air.

Firstly, the style. I've heard that this is Iain Broome's first novel. I find that simply remarkable. The storytelling was lean: short sentences, quick dialogue, no bloat. I was going to say that I would guess that the author uses Twitter, but I happen to know that he does. It reads like it was written by a Twitter user, if that makes any sense. No bloat. You get me?

The style and content felt very English and made me think a bit of Nick Hornby or that other guy, Tony Parsons I think it is. That was refreshing. The time of year features well too, almost as a character. The descriptions of the dark and light, times of the day, the snow, the cold.

The characters themselves were enjoyable, particularly the interaction. Some of the stuff that Gordon came away with! He seemed kind of nervous, unconfident, antisocial, fearful of change, all to the extent of being creepy. Kind of like an Internet nerd or, something I have experience of, someone with Asperger's. So, let's just say I could relate.

The awkward beginnings of his relationship with Georgina illustrated his character very well I thought. And his devotion to looking after her in secret showed another aspect of his character. And sneaking into Don's shed to get his hedge cutters back, the midnight tree-cutting, the observing of his street. He really is quite a difficult character to fathom, but strangely likeable for all that.

This book came along at the perfect time for me, so it gets four stars. It's not up there with my unforgettable favourite reads, so for that reason I can't give it five. But I will certainly be looking out for Iain's next novel!