Andrew Hunter Murray
Autor de The Last Day
Sobre El Autor
Obras de Andrew Hunter Murray
Obras relacionadas
Etiquetado
Conocimiento común
Miembros
Reseñas
También Puede Gustarte
Autores relacionados
Estadísticas
- Obras
- 5
- También por
- 1
- Miembros
- 306
- Popularidad
- #76,934
- Valoración
- 3.5
- Reseñas
- 14
- ISBNs
- 16
- Idiomas
- 1
Its tone reminded me of Ealing comedies like "Kind Hearts And Coronets" and "The Ladykillers" because the reader was invited into the main character's confidence while being aware that they can't have confidence in the main character to tell their tale honestly and straightforwardly and because, even when people were being killed, the thrust of the narrative was "Wow! That was unexpected. Now what will our hero do?"
Its content is thoroughly modern, drawing on the challenges faced by young people trying to find somewhere affordable to live in London and the very particular crimes, committed by the wealthy so that they can become wealthier, that London attracts and facilitates.
Our hero, who keeps a roof over his head by moving into the second homes of the rich and absent describes himself as an Interloper rather than a squatter. He's convinced himself that he's playing a game that he finds satisfying and which he's proud of being good at. He's encoded his skills and experience into a list of numbered rules by which he lives his life, except when he breaks them.
We know from the first chapter that he's sharing his story with us from a medium-security prison and that he ended up there after a series of unfortunate events that led to him and the companions he acquired along the way, being hunted by the police, criminal gangs and the security services of more than one country. He tells his story with an endearing mix of quiet pride at his own ingenuity and resourcefulness and rueful regret for his naivety and his mistakes.
The tale he tells is one in which disaster follows disaster and each disaster results in him and his companions being at greater risk from a larger number of unpleasant people. It's also a tale of a loner, who had not been willing to face that he had grown tired of being alone and entirely self-reliant, becoming part of team and even, against his better judgement, putting other people's safety ahead of his own.
The plot is inspired by modern London and so touches on murder, money laundering, international espionage, and real estate fraud facilitated by corrupt politicians and police officers with connections to the global rich.
The writing is packed with drôle observations on class and the behaviour of the wealthy.
The young people are resourceful, resilient rule-breakers who are also fundamentally nice.
I enjoyed following our hero through disaster after disaster both because it was fun to watch them unfold and because I was engaged enough with the characters to want them to find a way through, even when that seemed impossible.… (más)