I liked this book. It covers an era very similar to mine albeit in the antipodes. Public school, university, music . He covers a lot of ground with insights into Law, journalism, Mental Health, education theory ... which were well thought out and expressed. The tangled and disjointed narrative captures the schizoid personality well. Most enjoyable and well crafted. I will search out his other books now. ( )

Very clever, builds suspense, a good picture of a mentally ill psycho ( )

I agree with Jinster that this one loses its way somewhat towards the end, though for me this was less because of the bemoaning of modern Britain and more to do with the exploration pyschological science, something which Faulks is clearly far more interested in than I am. Don't misunderstand me though, this is a good piece of literary fiction. It takes a good writer to create a thoroughly dislikeable character and yet make you sympathetic enough to stick with his story.

Am I mistaken or does the author make a cameo appearance in this book? When, during his journalistic career, Engleby considers joining the new national newspaper that became The Independent, one of the things that puts him off is an encounter with a bearded bloke when he goes for interview. Is this the bearded Sebastian Faulks who worked for that newspaper for several years? ( )

Haunting, well written, sad and funny ( )

My second Faulks and just as impressive (in a different way) to Birdsong. Engleby is a near genius loner bordering on the sociopathic. His story is told in the first person allowing Faulks to use one of my favourite narrative techniques, the unreliable narrator. When done well, this way of telling a story demands an element of interaction from the reader, who is obliged to work out the true story behind the one he is being told rather than absorb it passively.

The book is split into three phases. Engleby has a miserable time at boarding school, where he is relentlessly bullied due to his impoverished background. At Cambridge, Jenny, the girl he falls in (unrequited) love with disappears and is assumed dead. Finally, he becomes a decent journalist.

The disappearance of Jenny is the book's centrepiece but its really not enough to sustain a plot in which not an awful lot happens. Nevertheless the quality of Faulks' prose shines through and we get what seems to be a realistic insight into the mind of a distinctly odd person.

The school part of the novel is expertly done, although it must be said that public scholl bullying is a bit of a literary cliche. The time in Cambridge is brilliantly evocative of the 1970s. Faulks loses his way a bit in the final phase, using Engleby as a mouthpiece to snap at the bits of modern Britain he doesn't like, especially education.

Overall, a very good novel. ( )