Matt McAvoy Book Review

Whilst clearly a direct sequel to Javier De Lucia’s The Wake of Expectations, this book couldn’t be more different in tone, style and premise.  The author has assured me unambiguously that Calvin McShane is not real, and his adventures pure fiction, but I have to say that I suspect a good deal of cathartic content for the author, and I suspect Cal is based very strongly on Javier or someone he knows.  I’m also well aware I might be getting a little personal now, and don’t know if I’m crossing lines, so I’ll move on.

All this said, A Pleasant Fiction is probably the best-written book in the series – it is also definitely the most serious.  “Pleasant” and “fiction” are probably two words I would use last to describe it, yet don’t get me wrong; it’s excellent.  We already know what a very good writer Javier is, with a real labouring style which he makes look so easy, as I’ve alluded to in previous reviews of his work.  This book is much more personal, profound and poignant.  Cal is a lot older now, married with children of his own, and rather than hope, his life is now – or, at least this fictional memoir is – characterized by loss and heartbreak.  Indeed, the entire book seems to revolve around people he loves passing on, many of whom we aren’t familiar with from the series, but are clearly a huge part of Cal’s life in adulthood.  The musical dreams, Solitaire and the lottery win are all distant memories, and only briefly referred to; what matters now is the people Cal loves, what they mean to him and how their losses shape him as a man.  Yes, there’s humour, and hope and love, but none of the coarse banter which characterized the original trilogy – so if that’s what you’re hoping to see you’ll be disappointed.  This one rather more stands alone, and unlike the serialized trilogy format of The Wake of Expectations, there is no real need to read any other first for context.  It is sad, for sure, and an authentic reflection of life, to see that Cal has moved on from those dreams and is now talking about his day-to-day office job, which he has clearly been in long enough to make a career of. But there is also a maturity to “Cal’s” craft as a writer now. 

I’ll be frank; if you loved The Wake of Expectations or its derivative trilogy, you may find A Pleasant Fiction a bleak detour.  I would say it is more for the realists and those who like their fiction down to earth.  I will just round up by adding that Javier explores so profoundly and intuitively into Cal’s mindset he is either an incarnation of the writer’s psyche, or Javier is a tremendously decent writer; I already know the latter is true, and I am pretty sure about the former.