John Niven

Straight White Male

William Heinemann 2013

 

Kennedy Marr is a wealthy Irish novelist living in LA, one of the most self-centered hedonistic characters one will ever meet.

 

All Kennedy wanted – all he’d ever wanted – was to do exactly as he pleased all the time in an utterly consequence-free environment. Was this so much to ask for?

 

Suddenly confronted with a load of unpaid taxes and not enough cash to pay them, the only solution (besides finishing the novel he hasn’t even started) is to accept a prestigious literature prize in England which has been granted to him. However, this means moving to the same town with his ex-wife and 16-year old daughter for a year while teaching at the university where not all people are happy to see him.

Those looking for a politically-correct book written in a nice tame manner, look elsewhere.

To sum up what I think of this novel, I’ll just quote Kennedy’s answer to a lady asking whether or not he has certain ideas he tries to get across in his books.

 

Ach, you just want to delight the reader really, Kennedy said.