The Road Home, The Road and Netherland

Rose Tremain's book The Road Home is exactly the type of book I like. A human drama set in this country, characters that are interesting and believable and places that are familiar. Set mainly in London, with excursions to East Anglia and Eastern Europe, the immigrant hero Lev finds his way through the strangeness of modern Britain. This is a highly readable story, full of rich personalities. Great Stuff.

I had never read a Cormac McCarthy novel, and after watching the film version of his No Country for Old Men, I picked his Pulitzer prizewinning The Road. This is a very original piece of writing. Set in post apocalyptic America, a father and son struggle to survive in a desolate country. A gripping, shocking and uneasy tale, it is still a thrilling read.

I was very disappointed with Netherland by Joseph O'Neill. The combination of cricket and New York seemed something with which I could identify. But I found the whole story boring, and the writing unusual. If he had done away with the interminable reminicences and given the book a linear plot (the vogue for time changes just didnt work this time), then a short story might have worked. But this did not.