Dartmouth Park: A Novel
by Rupert Thomson
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If he suddenly found what surrounded him unbearable, it was because it was artificial. Everything had been designed and manufactured, he was trapped in it. Philip Notman, a celebrated scientist turned historian, attends a conference in Bergen, Norway. On his return to London and to his wife and son, he finds himself irrevocably changed and unable to settle back into his normal life. Instead, he is overcome with a deep revulsion for the consumerism, powerlessness and emptiness of modern show more technological civilization. Seeking answers, he flies to Cadiz to unite with Ines, an attractive Spanish academic with whom he shared a connection, and after a chance encounter with a wealthy elderly couple, spends the summer in their house in Crete. But his efforts prove futile. He becomes consumed with his disgust for the modern world and with his feelings of hopelessness for the family that await him. Spiralling further into despair, he feels compelled to take action. He returns to London and finds refuge in a scaffolding yard in Vauxhall. In this fugitive underground existence, using his scientific knowledge, he embarks on a path that could lead to devastating destruction. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
BUT….. because I’ve read other books by Rupert Thomson that I’ve really liked I persevered. Do I regret that? Not really, because I like his style and the way the book thinks.
This book in particular reminded me very much of the late Russell Hoban, here their two styles merged into one.
And of the book itself? I kinda thought it was 2 books in 1. The first book about his vision on the way to the airport and the second about his self-radicalisation. For me, unfortunately, the 2 halves added up to less than 1.
If you’ve never read anything by Rupert Thomson don’t start here, read The Insult instead.
Dispenses with paragraphs, periods and quotation marks, yet is effortless to follow .
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