A charming memoir of this wonderful writer’s childhood. It has much in common with Bill Bryson’s Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Fowler is English, Bryson American, but both seem to have evolved from similar roots, discovering the fantastic escapism of comic books and eventually graduating to writing for themselves. This is a beautiful, nostalgic look at what makes a writer and an easy, enjoyable read. Highly recommended.
Superman , Dracula , The Avengers , Treasure Island ...when you're ten years old, you can fall in love with any story so long as it's a good one. But what if you're growing up in a house without books? Christopher Fowler's memoir captures life in suburban London as it has rarely been seen: through the eyes of a lonely boy who spends his days between the library and the cinema, devouring novels, comics, cereal packets - anything that might reveal a story. But it's 1960, and after fifteen years of post-war belt-tightening, his family is not ready to indulge a child cursed with too much imagination...Caught between an ever-sensible but exhausted mother and a DIY-obsessed father fighting his own demons, Christopher takes refuge in words. His parents try to understand their son's peculiar obsessions, but fast lose patience with him - and each other. The war of nerves escalates to include every member of the Fowler family, and something has to give, but does it mean that a boy must always give up his dreams for the tough lessons of real life? Beautifully written, this rich and astute evocation of a time and a place recalls a childhood at once eccentric and endearingly ordinary.
'The book is fabulous, and I hope it sells forever. Entrancing, funny, deeply moving and wonderfully written. Please read it Upbeat and forgiving...Fowler's South London childhood was deeply weird...but the tone is sunny, and anyone who remembers Mivvis, jamboree bags, streets with no cars, Sid James and vast old Odeons will love this Sixties retro-fest.' Independent on Sunday
'Paper-dry wit and natural charm...brutally funny.' LONDON LITE
'A wonderfully vigorous read, confident in its total recall and acute in its deft definitions of characters. Delightfully written, this funny and engrossing memoir is a wonderful evocation of a Fifties and Sixties childhood' CHOICE 'Book of the Month'
Author
About Christopher Fowler
Christopher Fowler is the award-winning author of over thirty novels and twelve short story collections, and the Bryant & May mystery novels, which record the adventures of two Golden Age detectives investigating impossible London crimes. His latest books are the sinister comedy-thriller ‘Plastic’, the memoir ‘Film Freak’ and the haunted-house novel ‘Nyctophobia’. Other work includes the ‘War of the Worlds’ videogame, a graphic novel and a Hammer horror radio play. He has a weekly column in The Independent On Sunday. He spends his time between London and Barcelona..
Christopher Fowler was the winner of the CWA Dagger in the Library 2015.
