Matt McAvoy Book Review

A direct sequel to White Monkey, and more of the same – some real laugh-out-loud humour at times, though perhaps less of a story arc, Darren having already up and left his northern roots.  In truth, I didn’t actually know the book was a sequel until realizing the connection with White Monkey.  What is did realize, very early on, is that this is Brit-lit comedy, with its rough-edged coarseness and language; when you read dialogue like this you know it can only be written by an English author.

That said, the book improves a good deal as it goes along, and we meet some great characters, this time as Darren is teaching in Saudi Arabia.  I have to say, I’m quite pleased about this; I have read so many travel memoirs about Asia, or fictionalized anecdotes, that it was a warm relief to read a fish-out-of-water book about a traveller’s experiences in the Middle-East instead, a culture we still, surprisingly, know relatively little about from a temporary worker’s point of view.  Carlos has a great knack for creating fun, interesting and sometimes genuinely comedic characters, all with different traits and none to stereotype.  These people should never be considered representative of their respective roots; all are so vastly different, quirky and unique, you can only really describe them, simply, as interesting people – and I would imagine world-travelling teachers are incredibly interesting, the more dismal their backstory the better!  Even the Afrikaan “villains” of the book gave me a good laugh, with their bullying banter.  This book is genuinely great fun, and you’ll have a real laugh reading it.

However, and this is a very big issue, whilst I try not to comment on grammar in my reviews, the syntax and punctuation used in this book are in a dreadful state, I’m sorry to say.  Whilst I have tried not to let it influence my writing too much, it would be disingenuous of me to simply make out it isn’t the case, and it is too consistent throughout for me not to acknowledge it.  It is a shame, because I found myself unable to look past this and consider the book more seriously.  I strongly recommend that the author revise the proof before sending it out to more reviewers.  Once polished, this will be a really good comedy-drama, semi-fictional travel-work memoir, as funny and engaging as any you’re likely to read in a pretty flooded genre, and one that I would have no doubt recommending.  I wonder if there is a second sequel forthcoming.  I hope so, though perhaps would like to see it moved to a different part of the world, so it may not be to Carlos’s expertise.  Still, we can hope.