The Hand of History
If we are to consider the novel, as Jeffrey Eugenides did in these very pages, as the “mental picture of its era” then surely the glaringly imminent demise of the New Labour era represents an opportune and bookmarked period in which to consider the various offerings. It’s a question that’s often posed, but where is the novel that best defines the Blair era, in the way that Martin Amis’ Money is sad to have defined that of Thatcher’s (which in itself is misguided when contrasted to Iain Sinclair’s magisterial Downriver or, say, Hanif Kureishi’s output).
Andrew Stevens considers the official and unofficial fiction of the decade with no name.
Ballard as Public Policy
In a similar vein, Minton contrasts the dull and hyper-sanitised environments of the Docklands and Bluewater with grittier, more unpredictable urban spaces like the Manchester rave scene. Many readers will share her instinctive celebration of the latter over the former, but the comparative analysis can be confused and distorted. Manchester is presented as both the victim of an ASBO-led “newly sanitised culture” and the beneficiary of an “unplanned, spontaneous” explosion of sub-cultures. The criticism of community wardens, behaviour contracts and litter fines suggests a disdain for basic neighbourhood management, especially in poorer neighbourhoods. Is it really all that bad to want to “keep the streets of the city as clean as the shelves of the supermarket”?
John Houghton on Anna Minton‘s Ground Control.
Reheated Cabbage
Combining surreality with face-to-the-kerb realism, this new collection reminds us of Welsh’s strength as a storyteller. He can simply put two characters in a room, start them talking – and that’s it: you’re hooked. Hardcore fans like me will get the pleasing jolt of recognition at new encounters with old faces like Franco Begbie and the phenomenal Juice Terry: Reheated Cabbage charts the edges of the rich and complex tapestry of working-class life that Welsh has been creating in his full-length novels.
Max Dunbar on Irvine Welsh’s Reheated Cabbage.