One of the most unique works of autobiographical fiction I have ever come across, this epic covers different aspects in the life of Martin Amis - his murdered cousin, his relationship with his father, his teeth - in a spectacularly non-linear way. Brilliant. ( )

Riferimenti letterari a Kingsley Amit,, Larkin, Bellow... Contiene analisi interessante dell'esplosione letteraria del genere autobiografico. ( )

It's somewhat a vindication of himself, a vindication of everything bad ever said about him. That he's so vain e spends a fortune on cosmetic surgery, he replies with the quite terrifying and harrowing tale of his teeth; that he had a poor relationship with his father, he demonstrates the opposite; that the West's murder of his niece was partly because his family were tragically torn apart, he counters with the real sorrow of being a mourning family of the victim; and it works for me. He clearly has a strong rapport with his father. etc but what struck me most of all was his harrowing account of his cousin's murder. Of course, there is no rhyme or reason to those sort of brutal events but if I was put up against a wall and would be murdered myself if I didn't give one, I would say Martin Amis has been able to share such an awful event with the world in a manner that helps us all have a better insight into how this sort of sorrow must feel.

I deducted a star for the jumpy narrative and excessive footnotes. (If it's good enough to make a footnote, it's good enough to be seamlessly incorporated into the story) (and brackets so I'm somewhat hoist on my own petard!) ( )

The memoir is a guided tour, no free ranging research with the price of admission. It is likely closer to a slide show. One mustn't shuffle the sequence. It alleges itself as a report, an account. It isn't submission. That is unseemly. I often felt ill at ease when reading Experience. My friends and I read Zachary Leader's biography of Kingsley Amis a few years back. The sordid details of the home life and its philandering projections really bothered me. Such an upbringing also gave a context to Marty's less than stellar moments. The pauses, omissions and gaffes fuel the narrative. The footnotes underscore the narrative. We must agree with Kingsley's observation that life is grief and labor. I suppose Forster is also on target and I should feel that Amis connected with me, the reader, though I'm not sure I welcome such. ( )

I liked the review that described this as the love story of a father and a son. Don't advise reading this if you're having teeth issues. ( )