As genre-mixing goes political fantasy is a new one for us but this is an interesting, modern-day reworking of the The Pilgrim's Progress. Looking at the tumultuous period from 2010 to Summer 2015 and the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour’s new leader, it mirrors Bunyan’s idea but looks to educate the reader about how the political elite maintains an unfair system.
With the support of Hope, Charity and the Interpreter the Pilgrim meets a panoply of fantasy characters, closely modelled on recognisable political figures, and the conversations they have are supported by 35 pages of references at the end of his book to ground it in the here and now.
Unashamedly hostile to the ideology shaping the UK government in the 21st Century, this self-published novel will always be ‘Marmite’ but if you like Marmite…
The Road to Corbyn A Modern Day Pilgrim's Progress Synopsis
Following the style of Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, The Road to Corbyn begins with the conceit of a dream in which Pilgrim, a contemporary seeker after truth, is introduced to the characters Hope, Charity, and the Interpreter. The Interpreter is Pilgrim's guide, the voice that presents the big picture of the human species and their development, particularly within the last two hundred and fifty years. The Interpreter's underlying beliefs about truth serve in this work as a secular counterpart to Bunyan's belief in evangelical Christianity. The Interpreter's concerns are with inequality and the unjust distribution of wealth, the suffering that is thereby caused, and the deceptions of self and others that are needed to justify the power structures and politics that reinforce these inequalities and injustices. Pilgrim finds that his specific journey is through the lifetime of the 2010-2015 UK government, continuing past the general election of May 2015 and on to the emergence of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party in opposition. Pilgrim meets those in charge of the prime offices of state such as Health and Welfare, Education and the Treasury - and the Prime Minster himself, as well as the leader of a state similar to the modern Russian federation. Rob Donovan has created a fantasy novel that is hostile to the ideology now shaping the government of the UK. The Road to Corbyn is a telling insight into the mindset of a right-wing government and will appeal to those interested in the UK government and 21st century politics.
Educated in Dartford, Kent, Rob Donovan went on to read history at St Catherine's, Oxford. The following thirty years plus at the chalk-face never diminished his love affair with teaching. Along the way, Rob went on to obtain four Master's degrees and a Doctorate.
