Barcelona Plates

The first story in this collection is excellent and all the rest are remarkable. Sayle's trick is to twist his tales in the final sentence. This is the defining characteristic of classic short stories but Sayle takes it to a savage height. The tenor of all the stories here is laden with an alienated irony even though the strange characters are treated sympathetically. The overall effect is thought-provoking and memorable.

My favourite story in this collection is 'Big-Headed Cartoon Animal' which I think may be a mini-masterpiece. It is a really clever commentary on the sterility of 'Disney Land', California and whole of Western consumerism. In fact, the more I think about it the more I realise it has.

The rest of the stories vary in quality, the most successful among them being the ones that allow you to empathise with the main character - no mean feat given that they are all thoroughly unlikeable. What the stories have in common is to show the ease with which social conventions are destroyed and the consequences of such actions. They are about revealing the fragility of social order, if it exists (cf: 'Locked Out') . How does a have-a-go hero feel after show more his moment of heroism? What happens if you cross a dwarf? Actually, 'My Shrinking Circle of Acquantances' is funny and worth a read; 'Minister of Death' and 'Lose Weight, Ask Me How' are rather creepy but also of merit.

'The Last Woman Killed in the War' is as good as Douglas Adams says and, rather like 1984, is a poignant example of the collective amnesia that we all prefer when the 'Zeitgeist' changes. We don't want to admit we have learnt that we were wrong, we prefer to alter history to fit the new policy. show less

I picked this up in a second hand bookshop on account of Douglas Adams' blurb on the front cover calling it "Completely Brilliant."

Must be one of the strangest short reads I have had in a long time. A short story collection stringed together only by virtue of wicked humour, steak cooking cynicism & the most insane, ironic pathos delivered with such everyday matter-of-factness I felt like I was not normal to not have yet had any of these extremely impossible situations accost me. Thankfully, if ironically, most of these little skits features a comedy writer - so I was able to pat myself on the back & quash all previous want of such delusional fame.

Don't pick it up if you're jobless, homeless & looking for a cheer up. Might do if you show more were just hard done by someone & wanting ideas for revenge. show less

if you only read the title story then its worth it. However the others are almost as good I love how he changes direction just when you think he won't or better still cant.

A number of funny stories, each quite different and some a little strange.

Hilarious,love the Nic and Tob story.