Paul Bassett Davies

This book confounded my expectations all the way through. What a weird and wonderful novel.

I'm never one for summaries, and I'm not about to start now, but I will say I was first intrigued by the title of this one, then even more when I found out it was populated with...well...dead writers...in rehab.

Hunter S. Thompson. Wilkie Collins. Dorothy Parker. Ernest Hemingway. It sounded like a fun time, and it truly guaranteed a wonderful time would be had by all.

At its cold, blackened heart, this show more is a novel about addiction, and the toll it can take on relationships. It's about trying to overcome those base addictive urgings, and try to be better. I'm not an addict, but I come from a family of them, so this one hit close to home, but never in a maudlin, or even a preachy way.

Instead, I laughed. I was entertained. Thoughts were provoked. And I left, pondering the nature of some of the addicts I know.

That's a lot of weight for a novel to carry, but this one carried it well. show less

i like a novel with twists and turns and where it isn't clear whose reality, if any, you are occupying and this novel handles this well. It is witty, entertaining and engaging. The central character Foster James / James Foster is at times warm and sensitive and at others arrogant and careless. We are taken to a rehab unit occupied with famous addicts, Dorothy Parker, S T Coleridge, Ernest Hemingway, Hunter S Thompson and others. The novel has a dream-like quality as we hear from these show more different characters in parodies of their style. the rehab unit has two doctors, Wallace and Elidora and their stormy love affair becomes the axis of the novel. The reader follows the action through patient journal entries and transcripts from group therapy sessions and once I had settled in to knowing who was who these worked well. The strange reality and plot twists echo Magnus Mills to some extent although a dream-like quality is always retained and the reader is aware that for the characters do not feel they are in real life. An enjoyable read. show less

Intriguing, clever, funny, irreverent, and challenging in places. What's not to like?! This book is a must for readers who like their comedy a bit dark. The hardback is also very lovely.

I also love the author's comment about the title when asked what the book is about: 'dead writers in rehab'. When questioned further, he replies 'do you know what that movie Snakes on a Plane is about?' and when they say 'Oh yes...', he will just shrug as if to say 'well then...'

'So your book is about show more snakes?' This response suggests to him that this person is not necessarily the right demographic for his book,,, show less