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With independent fiction, freedom from genre restrictions and editorial direction can produce either new forms of expression or unfocussed ramblings, perhaps well-written, but going nowhere.
CWYSO is a delight
for anyone looking for the former. This is not a light read; time and characters
slide in and out of place and there is at least one complex mystery to solve. I’d
say it is perfect for Johnny Vegas fans who wish they could cut the soap opera
out of 'Ideal' and turn the drug lords up to eleven.
The plot cannot be better summed up than as it is by the
author himself:
“A black comedy following the adventures of a disparate group of people
in the Netherlands in the days following 9/11. A faded rock star, Dr Kosmoss,
his blind companion, Christian, and a Nigerian King called Lord Ahmed go to the
Netherlands to rescue a girl kidnapped by a porn star. Since Dr Kosmoss lost
his memory in the WTC attacks, all he has to go on is a note telling him to go
to the Netherlands and find a man called Bran Van Haappen. Meanwhile, a drug
dealer called GSUS and his three pals have to come up with ten thousand
guilders in three days to pay back the local big cheese or they're all dead.”
How well comedy works is always down to the individual
reader and I did not find the book laugh out loud funny. It walks a fine line
between dark comedy and violent/bad taste humour and in my opinion the line is
crossed more than once. It is the sort of gross/cum-splatter humour that might
work best in the locker room or among shipyard welders. That said, there were
times when I laughed unexpectedly, and overall I did find the story both
engrossing and amusing, and not at all offensive.
There is one thing I can say for certain about CWYSO: you will not have put the pieces
together and solved the puzzle before you reach the end. When you get to the
final reveal, there are several, if you have enjoyed the style of humour, the
author’s cunning will amuse you all the more. If you have struggled, you will
groan.
There are peculiarities; each character is introduced,
described from head to toe including the inevitable t-shirt logo and shoes, and
ascribed a likeness to a celebrity. Because it is done so often and by rote, I
guess it is by design rather than accident, but it does stand out as unusual
when reading. Puns are repeatedly explained, which might help readers who find
the wording obscure; references to art and philosophy are also explained,
almost as if the author would like the reader to note his academic range.
I enjoyed Come With Your Shades On and
recommend it - if you like dark comedy, if you can follow UK accents, and if
you don’t squick easily.
Joe Gotham says of his work, “I’ll let my writing speak for
itself.” It’s good advice.
Also by Joe Gotham:
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