Get Me Out of Here [Kindle Edition]

From the very start I was hooked on Get Me Out Of Here. The book opens with the main character, Matt, confronting an assistant in a designer spectacle shop - he has deliberately damaged his glasses in order to wangle a replacement pair that is currently more fashionable. At first I thought Matt was just some highly-strung, must-have designer label slave but it soon becomes apparent that there is something very, very sinister about him. Matt has strong views about most things but there are times when his rants make sense, his views on law and order, third world poverty and consumerism for example, but each of his views is in direct contrast to way in which he really lives e.g. he is a sucker for the latest fashion and gadgets and has no respect for anyone - he loathes fat people and is an utter snob.

As we learn more about Matt and his past, the tension increases; for a while I was wondering whether his past deeds were fantasy or reality until the action really kicks off and he becomes more and more unhinged and divorced from reality.

I can not recommend this book enough, I absolutely loved it and was terrified by it too! I am so disappointed that Henry Sutton hasn't written any other books, I really like his style of writing which never lagged throughout this roller-coaster journey with mad Matt.
More please, and quick about it Mr Sutton!

Sometimes described as a satire and as "the first credit crunch novel," which, frankly, would never have lured me into reading it, Get Me Out of Here is much more like an adult version of Patrick McCabe's novel of psychological horror, The Butcher Boy, than it is a broad picture of the London business world. The book focuses almost exclusively on Matt Freeman, an overly-driven yuppie with all the stereotypical hang-ups about appearances, brand names, personal connections, and the toys of success. As first person narrator, Matt conveys every thought that enters his head, every twisted bit of false logic, every sensation, every hope for the future, and every self-deluded justification for the crimes he commits--and he commits a lot of them. We know his personal friends, all his lovers, and his neighborhood. He is individualized--a young man whose problems are so extreme that he cannot be considered "typical," even among psychopaths.

Matt's problems started well before the country's current economic problems, and we never know exactly when or why. He is single, having had several intense relationships, one of which almost led to the altar, but he is totally ego-driven, unable to share or participate in any relationship as an adult. Still, he is running his own financial business and says he has included North Korea, Iran, and Kuwait in his business plans. When his current girlfriend tells him he is "nothing but a leech," he reacts with brilliant irony and mordant wit: "I wasn't going to inform her that actually leeches had numerous beneficial uses, especially when it came to bloodletting." Within the first forty pages, Matt Freeman has already committed a murder, though "it's not his fault."

Author Henry Sutton is clearly having fun as he creates this character and then lets him wreak havoc on those around him. Matt is so wild and (literally) crazy, that readers will be reading about his actions with horror at the same time that they are chuckling because he is so twisted. His need to be important is so great that he misreads even ordinary comments, taking everything as a personal insult, and, unfortunately, often feeling the need for serious redress. As his already limited hold on reality crumbles further, he becomes ever more imaginative in finding ways to stay ahead of the pack (including the police). The body count rises and keeps rising, as does the reader's involvement and appreciation of the author's cleverness.

Sutton's lively prose often includes unique descriptions of arcane subjects, such as Matt's personal "television-free zone," the smells of Kentucky Fried Chicken vs. Burger King when eaten by passengers on the Tube (KFC is more "pungent"), and the dental hygiene of the North Koreans. ("For some reason I couldn't imagine the North Koreans flossing their teeth with regularity or passion.") Though he does, occasionally, draw parallels to world-wide economic situations during the novel, Matt is so out of touch with reality that it is difficult to see ways in which these domestic or international crises are responsible for his problems. Sutton often tells the story obliquely, creating "ah-ha" moments for the reader who has figured out what has happened by examining Matt's comments and realized what he does NOT say. And he also tantalizes the reader by leaving much unresolved at the end. After all, Matt, the narrator, does not know what will happen, either. One of my favorites for the year. Mary Whipple

This is an amazingly well written book, hilariously funny and resonant with intelligence. I can understand why some people did not like it. A certain sensibility is required to really relish the exquisite position of the protagonist, not to mention ongoing allusions from from Smollet to Brett Easton Ellis.
If the hero were just another uneducated yahoo, or another total s_hit, the book would be far less rewarding. Actually, he is somewhat self-aware, more so than Mr Micawber but not enough to function in the real world. In fact, society, like his brother, is complicit in letting him get away with things to the extent he has.

Here we have a writer at the height of his powers, making few concessions to the mass reading public. I am happy to see so many people do get it.