I believe I can see what Burns is trying to do here - Proust for a more mediated age - but he doesn't quite pull it off. Still, a good effort, which is nevertheless intelligent, diverting and (an underestimated quality in books) short.

Defintely worth a punt. In an age when more and more of our celebrated "literature" is little more than re-worked MA projects from creative writing courses, from writers who have nothing to say, Burns is at least having a pop at doing something serious. Had he succeeded in his ambitions, I have no doubt this would have been hailed (at least eventually) as a truly great work. ( )