Product Description
In a dishevelled west London flat the body of a young man lies crumpled, the victim of a suicide. In a stylish family home less than a mile away is a writer: stranded in mid-life, his one triumph behind him, his family slipping away from him, all he has to hold on to is his self-belief that one day the world will recognise his talents. From these two seemingly unrelated elements, Terence Blacker creates a magnificently compulsive novel of ego, envy, self-deception and, ultimately, self-destruction. Gregory Keays is a man with a wonderful future behind him. A dazzlingly brilliant first work has led to a series of false starts, wrong turnings and critical cold shoulders. Reduced to compiling a book of literary lists and stuck in the mire of his latest fiction, Insignificance, Gregory's life turns around when he takes under his wing Peter Gibson, a promising student at the night school where he teaches creative writing. When Gibson kills himself following an argument with his mentor, Gregory pays him the highest compliment - he appropriates his work and passes it off as his own...

Synopsis
In a dishevelled west London flat the body of a young man lies crumpled, the victim of a suicide. In a stylish family home less than a mile away is a writer: stranded in mid-life, his one triumph behind him, his family slipping away from him, all he has to hold on to is his self-belief that one day the world will recognise his talents. From these two seemingly unrelated elements, Terence Blacker creates a magnificently compulsive novel of ego, envy, self-deception and, ultimately, self-destruction. Gregory Keays is a man with a wonderful future behind him. A dazzlingly brilliant first work has led to a series of false starts, wrong turnings and critical cold shoulders. Reduced to compiling a book of literary lists and stuck in the mire of his latest fiction, Insignificance, Gregory's life turns around when he takes under his wing Peter Gibson, a promising student at the night school where he teaches creative writing. When Gibson kills himself following an argument with his mentor, Gregory pays him the highest compliment - he appropriates his work and passes it off as his own...

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6 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (2)           Average Customer Review (6 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: amusing satire on the desperation of a blocked novelist, 3 Jul 2001 By A Customer This review is from: Kill Your Darlings (Hardcover) An enjoyable satire on the relationship a generation of men have to Martin Amis (ie, deep envy)this combines a vaguely distasteful thriller with sharp observation on the literary scene. Presumably the author, aka Harvey Porlock of the Sunday Times knows it well, but the same irritatingly superficial tone creeps into the novel. Gregory Keays, an envious, middle aged blocked novelist who spends his time compiling lists of literary trivia is amusing, but the novel as a whole isn't a patch on A Vicious Circle by Amanda Craig or The Information by - you've guessed it - Martin Amis. In fact, the whole thing feels tired and second-hand though it is redeemed by joke reviews in much the same way that Simon Brett's detective stories are by their cod-reviews. As others have noted, the ending is a particular disappointment. A talented author, he always begins well then lets his novels fizzle out.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you?