- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (4 May 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 074759645X
- ISBN-13: 978-0747596455
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 11.2 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 288,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
Brilliantly original. Will Self is one of those rare writers whose imaginations change for ever the way we see the world. --J G Ballard
The Butt is Self's most gripping and disturbing novel in years. --Harper's Bazaar --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
The Butt is Self's most gripping and disturbing novel in years. --Harper's Bazaar --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
Review
'The Butt is Self's most gripping and disturbing novel in years' Harper's Bazaar 'With a flick of a cigarette Will Self performs literary acrobatics few other writers can even dream of' Scotland on Sunday 'A writer at the height of his immeasurable powers' Yorkshire Post 'Self writes here with an adroit impersonation of coarse exuberance that makes The Butt as readable as a blokeish airport novel ... Ingenious' Sunday Telegraph
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I quite liked Self's earlier books. The Quantity Theory of Insanity was amusing, Great Apes was internally consistent. This book however places him in the camp with so many British authors who have a large vocabulary but nothing to say.
I'm unsure what I hated most about it - the ridiculous plot, the bizarre speech patterns of the protagonists, the unconvincing attempts to tie up the loose ends, or just the over-riding smugness of the authorial voice.
I was lured into buying the book by a 3 for 2 offer and the reviews on the paperback written by his media mates. It is not 'wonderfully ingenious' or 'raucously imaginative'. It is neither 'Swiftian' nor 'Kafkaesque'.
Satire, such as a Modest Proposal, works because we understand the mindset of those being lampooned. In contrast, the Butt comes over as the ramblings of a middle-Englander out of his depth in nasty old foreignland. It slots in with the tranche of recent films (Taken, Babel and Transsiberian)which, though they have their moments, labour under the sub-text that if you leave the comfort of your nice Western life, bad things will happen and you will have only yourself to blame. It reminded me of an extended Christmas round-robin diatribe - 'and you'll never guess what happened to us next...'
The butt that Tom Brodzinski flicked off his balcony was the last cigarette he ever smoked. The Butt will be the last Will Self book I shall ever read. I already feel healthier.
I'm unsure what I hated most about it - the ridiculous plot, the bizarre speech patterns of the protagonists, the unconvincing attempts to tie up the loose ends, or just the over-riding smugness of the authorial voice.
I was lured into buying the book by a 3 for 2 offer and the reviews on the paperback written by his media mates. It is not 'wonderfully ingenious' or 'raucously imaginative'. It is neither 'Swiftian' nor 'Kafkaesque'.
Satire, such as a Modest Proposal, works because we understand the mindset of those being lampooned. In contrast, the Butt comes over as the ramblings of a middle-Englander out of his depth in nasty old foreignland. It slots in with the tranche of recent films (Taken, Babel and Transsiberian)which, though they have their moments, labour under the sub-text that if you leave the comfort of your nice Western life, bad things will happen and you will have only yourself to blame. It reminded me of an extended Christmas round-robin diatribe - 'and you'll never guess what happened to us next...'
The butt that Tom Brodzinski flicked off his balcony was the last cigarette he ever smoked. The Butt will be the last Will Self book I shall ever read. I already feel healthier.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There really nothing much to say other than the title. I was given this book as a gift and felt I owed it to the person giving me the book to read it in its entirety. I would have happily given up half way through for all of the reasons other people have given. There is no plot, the use of language does not make up, in any part, for all the other failings of the novel, and it really does fail in every other area. The overall impression of the book is that it is pointless, it doesn't say anything, the long rambling descriptions of the supposedly fictional cultures are simply boring with nothing of interest to note....avoid this book at all costs.
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The language of this novel is richly textured and full of masterful metaphor. One example of many is: "Adams chose his words as fastidiously as a spinster selecting Scrabble tiles". Enjoyment of the masterful use of language was where the pleasure of this book ended for me, however. This is the kind of book that I think readers will either love or hate. The enigmatic and intriguing opening, where we are introduced to the bizarre culture of the country where the novel is set, sees the central character facing criminal charges for thoughtlessly flicking his cigarette butt onto an old man's head. For me, the book became less and less intriguing as absurdity was piled onto absurdity as the plot continued. One bizarre example is the towns in the desert where insurance policies are sold to multiple parties with conditions that the last of the policyholders to die collects the entire payout. Rampant killing ensues but the practice continues as it is supposedly beneficial to the economy.
The novel is largely allegorical in nature, but allegory is powerful when it is subtle. There is nothing subtle about demonstrating the arbitrary nature of culture by having natives in the desert wearing Austrian national costume to serve a psychologically disturbed anthropologist who has saved their tribe by inventing a culture for them when they had none. I can see how the imaginative nature of this story might appeal to some, but others will find the absurdity to be a bit too much.
The novel is largely allegorical in nature, but allegory is powerful when it is subtle. There is nothing subtle about demonstrating the arbitrary nature of culture by having natives in the desert wearing Austrian national costume to serve a psychologically disturbed anthropologist who has saved their tribe by inventing a culture for them when they had none. I can see how the imaginative nature of this story might appeal to some, but others will find the absurdity to be a bit too much.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Painful
It says on the cover that The Butt won an award for comedy writing. I can only assume it had zero competition that year. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Riley Mesh
Didn't Quite Make It
A clever book, which loses its way, and becomes tedious.
I wasn't sure whether the end made me sad or indifferent, but the ideas and language of this book are certainly... Read more
I wasn't sure whether the end made me sad or indifferent, but the ideas and language of this book are certainly... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Troy Beal
Oh dear, oh dear
The Butt's entire narrative lacks cogency and comprehensibility. By the end of this novel, I was exhausted and I felt as if I had been robbed of hours of my valuable time. Read more
Published on 10 April 2010 by L. Cameron
Disappointing to say the least
What a piece of indulgence. Self has obviously run out of steam - I used to be such a fan but this? Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2010 by T. J. Buchan
Quite disappointed
The Book Of Dave easily floats in my top ten. Liver and the good Doctor show a fascinating author but this lastest offering was vergeing on poor. Read more
Published on 20 Dec 2009 by Warwick Holt
BAFFLEMENT
-I got the impression that WS simply couldn't get Tom Brodzinski out of the mess he'd got him into. Read more
Published on 10 Sep 2009 by E. M. Watt
Disappointing
I was looking forward to this book after really enjoying the Book of Dave and Great Apes. I have to say I was very disappointed. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2009 by A Reader
Post Iraq multi-cultarism
Most books by Will Self start to unravel about 3/4 of the way in, as the brilliantly original premises can no longer sustain the narrative and all the jokes have been used up. Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2009 by Keith D. Brown
The Butt Will Self
Quite poor. Started well, then drifted into absurdity that just wasn't funny. Struggled to finish this which is rare for me.
Published on 10 Jun 2009 by Thomas Heneghan
Just gets boring...
When I first started reading this book I really thought that I would enjoy it. The writing style and use of the English language sets you thinking that this is a man who can... Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2009 by C. A. Brown
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