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Review
'A hectic comedy thriller…a rip-roaring knockabout farce…refreshingly unpompous, faintly dishevelled and often very funny.' Mail on Sunday
'At the centre of his first novel, a light comedy, is a terrorist plot of frightening ingenuity…the comedy is reminiscent of Tom Sharpe.' Sunday Times
'Johnson scores in his comic handling of those most sensitive issues…he succeeds in being charming and sincere…Boris Johnson has written a witty page-turner.' Observer
'Among the hilarious scenes of events and the wonderful dialogue which keeps the story moving at a cracking pace, Johnson uncovers some home truths…I can give no higher praise to this book than to say that I lapped it up at a single uproarious sitting.' Irish Examiner
'As an author, the Shadow Arts Minister is in a class of his own: ebullient, exhausting but irresistible.' Daily Mail
'fluent, funny material…the writing is vintage, Wodehousian Boris…it has been assembled with skill and terrific energy and will lift morale in the soul of many.' Evening Standard
'This is a comic novel, but Johnson is never far away from making serious points, which he leads us towards with admirable stealth.' Daily Telegraph
'a splendidly accomplished and gripping first novel…Few authors could get away with it, but this one most certainly does. Highly recommended.' Sunday Telegraph
'The rollicking pace and continuous outpouring of comic invention make the book…The guardians of our author's future need not worry. This is a laurel from a new bush, but certainly a prizewinner.' Spectator
'invents a genre all of his own: a post 9/11 farce…a pacy, knockabout political thriller which takes in would-be terrorists careering through Westminster in a stolen ambulance, a visit from the US president, celebrity chefs, snipers, tabloids chasing extra-curricular…as much fun reading it as Johnson had writing it.' GQ
'As well as Mr Johnson's inside knowledge of Parliament and his exuberantly idiosyncratic prose style, Mr Johnson is also brilliant at characterisation – each one of his cast of hundreds leaps to life in a few sentences…and yes, I laughed out loud approximately every 30 minutes.' Country Life
Book Description
A Comedy of Errors
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Customer Reviews
The American President is due to address the UK Parliament in Westminster Hall and meanwhile a serious but badly planned bomb cum kidnapping venture is under way. It's set in 2004, after 9/11 but before 7/7. Things go awry on all fronts but Johnson presents the drama with considerable tension, great humour and an astonishing political sensibility. How could this man be a Conservative MP?
The book is slow to start. The entire story takes place in under 4 hours but the build-up to the drama takes half the space without much happening. There is also a great deal of gratuitous erudition: okay, Boris, we've got the point, you're an extremely clever bloke but when you're writing a story like this, you need to move like Archer!
The kidnapping attempt, when it comes, is taken with deadly seriousness and yet has some hilarious sections as the author (relevantly) attacks some random targets: the fast food industry, bureacrats, celebrity chefs, religious fanatics, misogynists and military maniacs in no particular order. The book is worth the money for the rant about the food industry alone.
I was kept guessing as to how the book would end, but when it did it was satisfying. And was it all an improbable farrago?
I leave you with the author's last words:
-The only implausibility in this story is to imagine that (the kidnappers) could for a moment elude the police who guard the Palace of Westminster with such vigilance, tact and kindness.-
But, by Heaven, its funny! Boris Johnson takes huge swipes at the world and his dog, including himself, but cleverly avoids taking sides. ON the other hand, like Dave Courtney, he can dress up discomforting ideas in hilarious language and make you laugh despite yourself.
A good way to spend a rainy afternoon.
The plot revolves around a bicycling MP who's a bit hapless, but basically a decent sort of chap (where have we seen that before?); islamist terrorists; a stolen ambulance and a speech by the President of the United States (POTUS) in Westminster Hall. Just don't cheer too loudly when the parking attendant gets stabbed! It had to lose one star off the maximum, though, because of a rather cheesy plot device involving the terrorist's demands and the general public - I won't give it away, but you'll know it when you see it!
Regular readers of Boris's journalism will know what to expect. Readers who have previously been taken in by his highly cultivated "bumbling, public-school educated, bit of a thicko but basically decent chap" image will be pleasantly surprised!
Enjoy!
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