The Anti-McSweeney’s
Peter Wild of Bookmunch says he has to “feel sorry for the average reader”. Oh, and “If you buy just one book this year, make sure you fucking buy this one, alright?!?”. Can’t say fairer than that. OK, enough self-justification.
Will Ashon’s Clearwater
Many of the elements of Clear Water are already in place — the mammoth shopping centres with boutiques geared toward niche tastes; the lack of privacy; consumption, not production ruling the roost; Sealand, the strange archipelago off the Kent coast (what’s he doing on there?) — and he builds the momentum right up to the bristling final, apocalyptic pages, where ultimately everyone is fucked.
Susan Tomaselli hails Will Ashon‘s “assault on not only consumerist culture, but on identity, false idols and a blistering critique on even the quirks that define modern Britain”.