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A review by hcq
King of the Badgers by Philip Hensher
4.0
Really well written, really interesting.
I found this through Goodreads: It was listed under the “readers also enjoyed” tag for [a:Edward St. Aubyn|23194|Edward St. Aubyn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1405245514p2/23194.jpg]'s Patrick Melrose books, and I love those, so I thought I’d give it a whirl. I'm glad I did.
I can see why they made the connection. It’s not as glitteringly clever, nor as cruel, but not much is. Also, to be fair, the authors are doing different things: St. Aubyn was focused on one family, while Hensher was constructing a broader picture, of a English seaside town.
That town also has its scandal—a missing child—but that’s just the skeleton of the story. The body of it is built up bit by bit, as the reader meets and gets to know quite a few people in the town. Eventually they start to connect, and the larger pattern comes into view. It takes time, but it’s worth it.
It’s also pretty darn funny, in places.
Hensher has a marvelously clear, sharp approach to classic themes, like the snobbery of the folks in the nice houses versus the estates, and also to more modern ones, from the creeping omnipresence of police cameras to the social arrangements involved in gay sex parties. His take on the modern academic scene (for example, dissolving the chemistry department to pay for more gardeners, to impress prospective students’ parents) is ruefully entertaining while also horrifically accurate.
I want to read more by this guy.
I found this through Goodreads: It was listed under the “readers also enjoyed” tag for [a:Edward St. Aubyn|23194|Edward St. Aubyn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1405245514p2/23194.jpg]'s Patrick Melrose books, and I love those, so I thought I’d give it a whirl. I'm glad I did.
I can see why they made the connection. It’s not as glitteringly clever, nor as cruel, but not much is. Also, to be fair, the authors are doing different things: St. Aubyn was focused on one family, while Hensher was constructing a broader picture, of a English seaside town.
That town also has its scandal—a missing child—but that’s just the skeleton of the story. The body of it is built up bit by bit, as the reader meets and gets to know quite a few people in the town. Eventually they start to connect, and the larger pattern comes into view. It takes time, but it’s worth it.
It’s also pretty darn funny, in places.
Hensher has a marvelously clear, sharp approach to classic themes, like the snobbery of the folks in the nice houses versus the estates, and also to more modern ones, from the creeping omnipresence of police cameras to the social arrangements involved in gay sex parties. His take on the modern academic scene (for example, dissolving the chemistry department to pay for more gardeners, to impress prospective students’ parents) is ruefully entertaining while also horrifically accurate.
I want to read more by this guy.