This exceedingly original novel evokes the zeitgeist of Thatcher’s Britain with wit, humour and an exhilaratingly zesty touch.
Living in mid-eighties Edinburgh, Hume feels somewhat bewildered by the changing social landscape. He observes, on one hand, that Thatcher’s “new policies were creating new wealth and opportunities, offering everyone the chance to set their own goals and succeed”. On the other, he’s aware of an obvious rise in inequality in the form of the increasing number of beggars he can see before his philosophical eyes. Amidst this growing divide, Hume sets up a business that caters to the increasingly greedy rich. The crisscrossing lives of the variously discontented characters – notably Hume, The Cat, St Francis and DD (aka Diana the Damned) – lay bare the era’s heady complexity: anger, frustration, and deep disparities, mixed with ambition and decadence. Complex, astute and often acerbic, this is an utterly involving depiction of a transformative period in British history. ~ Joanne Owen
Billionaires' Banquet An Immorality Tale for the 21st Century Synopsis
1985, Edinburgh. Thatcher's policies are biting deep - fat cats and street-kids, lovers, losers and the rest struggle to survive. Hume sets up a business catering for the rich and their ever-growing appetites. But by the new millennium, these appetites have become too demanding ...Powerful, challenging and very funny, Billionaires' Banquet is an immorality tale for the 21st century.
Before becoming a writer, Ron Butlin was a pop-song lyricist, a footman, barnacle-scraper on the Thames and a male model. Widely translated, his work has twice been awarded a 'Best Foreign Novel' prize. His previous novel, Ghost Moon, was nominated for the international IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2016. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife, the writer Regi Claire.
