An adventure into love and politics and the law. Laird’s writing is deft, good-humoured and absorbing.” — Frank McCourt
“A terrific debut novel. A beautifully intricate dissection of the corporate world, and a hilarious depiction of modern male friendships.” — Time Out (London)
“An extraordinarily accomplished novel, by a confident and eloquent voice, filled with humour and insight.” — Sunday Times (London)
“Combines humor and heart with subversive intelligence. ... Laird is funnier and edgier than (Nick) Hornby.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“The real thing, a novel rich in both achievement and promise, by a writer who can actually write.” — The Times (London)
“A blithe, breezy read that nevertheless delivers biting insight. Laird is certainly no slouch—but he wondrously understands the mindset.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Part caper movie, part coming-of-age story, part urban satire ... introduces a wonderfully original and limber voice.” — Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
“An utterly engaging modern social satire with an unpredictable, violent edge. ... An excellent exploration of modern relationships.” — Library Journal
The real thing, a novel rich in both achievement and promise, by a writer who can actually write.
A blithe, breezy read that nevertheless delivers biting insight. Laird is certainly no slouch—but he wondrously understands the mindset.
An adventure into love and politics and the law. Laird’s writing is deft, good-humoured and absorbing.
An extraordinarily accomplished novel, by a confident and eloquent voice, filled with humour and insight.
Part caper movie, part coming-of-age story, part urban satire ... introduces a wonderfully original and limber voice.
A terrific debut novel. A beautifully intricate dissection of the corporate world, and a hilarious depiction of modern male friendships.
"A terrific debut novel. A beautifully intricate dissection of the corporate world, and a hilarious depiction of modern male friendships."
Laird-poet, former lawyer and husband of Zadie Smith-debuts, lad-lit style, with this sometimes entertaining story of childhood friends whose paths diverged radically and then reconverged. Danny Williams is a well-paid (if deeply unenthusiastic) lawyer at a prestigious London firm; Geordie Wilson, his boyhood chum from Northern Ireland, is "officially an unemployed labourer" who's just showed up on Danny's doorstep desperate for a place to stay. Geordie's in trouble with the Ulster Unionists back home, primarily because he has a sack full of their cash; Danny's been told he needs to go back to Northern Ireland to deal with a corporate takeover. Geordie joins forces with Danny, more out of idle curiosity than a sense of urgency (though the Unionists are planning something nasty). Laird's writing is clear and amusing, and both his protagonists are likable. But their aimlessness impedes the building of any narrative momentum, and the book's climactic scene is as rushed as it is contrived. The novel is well intentioned, clever and occasionally quirky-but the whole feels like less than the sum of its parts. (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
This is an utterly engaging modern social satire with an unpredictable, violent edge. Danny Williams is a lovable yet flawed 28-year-old Northern Irish ex-pat chained to his desk at one of London's top law firms. Danny and his colleague Albert amuse themselves with sarcastic emails and mild corporate subterfuge. Then Geordie Wilson lands on Danny's doorstep, on the run from vicious Loyalist thugs. Geordie's a childhood friend with whom Danny shares a dark, never-discussed secret, and he's got something the bad guys want. Danny's other troubles begin to pile up: his firm is sending him back home to work on an ugly takeover bid that will result in the layoffs of hundreds of locals, and he can't seem to get it right with his captivating new assistant, Ellen. An excellent exploration of modern relationships, this novel is thick with hip British slang that lends authenticity but may challenge even the above-average Anglophile. Laird, who is married to literary darling Zadie Smith, pulls off his first novel with confidence and style. Highly recommended for all libraries. [Laird's first collection of poetry, To a Fault, will be published in the United States by Norton this year.-Ed.]-Christine Perkins, Burlington P.L., WA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Raise a pint of Guinness to this debut novel of Northern Ireland that combines humor and heart with subversive intelligence. The plot pivots on the relationship of two young men from opposite sides of the class divide, who forged a bond in boyhood and who reunite in London after their lives have taken them in different directions. Danny Williams is an upwardly mobile lawyer at a high-pressure firm. Geordie Wilson, Danny's boyhood Irish schoolmate, has become an unemployed drifter who doesn't know where to turn after he runs afoul of a gang of political hooligans. He seeks asylum with a surprised Danny, who has trouble accommodating this rough-edged reminder of his small-town past within the upscale urbanity to which he aspires. Complications ensue, as Geordie's troubles (and those of Northern Ireland) follow him to London, while Danny's legal research takes him back to his homeland, where he discovers how difficult it can be to disregard the consequences of his work-for-hire. Over the course of the six days detailed within the novel, Danny and Geordie find their lives further complicated by budding romances (or at least sexual dalliances), as their new girlfriends help the unlikely friends explore emotional depths they never knew they had. As Danny stumbles into bed with a woman he perhaps doesn't deserve, Laird perfectly captures the urgency and awkwardness of intimacy between two folks who barely know each other. Having established a reputation as a prize-winning poet (and perhaps best known as the husband of novelist Zadie Smith), Laird doesn't concern himself too much with plausibility of plot, but his keen eye for detail and ear for dialect-along with the empathy he displays for hisdiverse array of characters-give the writing a richness beyond the chance encounters and coincidences on which the novel relies. Of the Nicks who write about young men coming to terms with their cluelessness, Laird is funnier and edgier than Hornby. Agent: Natasha Fairweather/AP Watt
