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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Shouldn't that be 'Pink' London?, 16 Nov 2002
By A Customer
Having been recommended this recently after a chance comment concerning Chuck Palanuik ("his books are bloody fantastic"), I can honestly say that something must have been lost in the translation.'Red London', a supposed book about nihilism and the fabric of modern society, is to 'Fight Club' what a Cortina is to a Corvette. From the off, you get the impression that Home is attempting a stab at cult literature, however he fails miserably in his task. His writing is sometimes childish, the obviously intentional spelling mistakes are a bad attempt at looking hard, the characters are so wooden and thin as to be made out of cardboard and the plot is non-existant. Also, the ending is laughably rushed. Maybe this is the intention, in an attempt to create something different - the graphic descriptions of the seemingly random killings are indeed vivid - however this book leaves a sour taste in the mouth. The chief reason for this is that the whole novel comes across as graphic porn, punctuated by cold-blooded killings and apocalyptic slogans. I lost count of the amount of gay sex scenes alone. Some aspects are quite funny, particularly the way Home seems to be writing from a bisexual skinhead's point of view throughout the entire book, but turn to any page and you are more or less guaranteed to find someone copping off with another 'character', purely for the animalistic pleasure. How can you have a character called 'Wayne Kerr' in a book and get away with it? His oft-repeated phrases are obviously for comic effect ('beating out the primitive rhythm of the swamps' seems to crop up quite frequently and certainly to my amusement), but these are all too infrequent and the various scenes in the book seem to be sparring for shock value. Like listening to a bad heavy metal album, this can weigh you down. The understated brilliance and subtlety of Chuck Palahnuik's work is probably 10 times better. While Home may think that he is unpretentious, there is such a thing as going out of your way to shock. The effect on the reader is one of boredom, in fact. So, in conclusion, Pink London is best avoided. For real nihilism, characters and situations you can actually relate to, try Palahnuik's work instead. Nice try Home, but the realm of dark pleasures is best penetrated by someone who knows what they're doing...4/10
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by Iain Sinclair
by Stewart Home
by Stewart Home
by Stewart Home
by Stewart Home
