A review by _dilliam_william
What a Carve Up! by Jonathan Coe

challenging dark funny informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Overall, this book was such a fun read. I don’t think I’ve quite absorbed anything like it yet somehow I find it similar in some ways to some of my other favourite books. 

Once I got into the style and structure I just couldn’t get enough of this book. It was very dense and you definitely feel the 500 pages as you go through them but I quite liked slowly making my way through the world and the mystery that Coe lays out.

I liked the mix of overarching plot and short-story-like vignettes about the horrible members of the Winshaw family. The book is also a great fictional exploration of 80s Britain which is also just a period that I’m super interested in.

You could go into this book looking for commentary on everything and probably find it: politics, animal rights, reality and dreams, etc. Yet, despite this dizzying range of issues the book explores, the main character Michael is very sympathetic and he’s a very grounding protagonist to follow through this confusing and reality-bending story.

I’m not sure how I felt about the ending, it tied up the plot points and the book’s themes very well but I don’t know if it was satisfying emotionally. But it didn’t ruin my reading experience or anything!

I would highly recommend this book and I will definitely be coming back to it in the future!