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Book Reviews Title Surviving
Sting Fiction-Net
Rating Buy It
From Amazon.co.uk - BUY
NOW! Cover
Story 'Ace Face'
wannabe Dave 'Mac' McVane thinks he's got it made.
Luscious Joolz, the most shaggable girl in Walsall,
invites him to her home on the notorious Jerome K.
Jerome estate. But will the woman of his dreams and
a 'real' saddlemaker's job in the Happy Stallion
make Mac the man he wants to be? Take a cast list
that includes demented Billy-Bob and his twizzler
parents, the sociopathic Tezza, a boy named Sue,
and Brainy Kev, red wine drinker and swot. Add a
pet scorpion and an over dressed Yorkshire terrier
to this Black Country brew, vintage 1979, and a
pacy comic nightmare takes over. A crazy week of
sex, violence and betrayal gives a hilarious twist
of realism to this intelligent evocation of growing
up in 'the ugliest town in the country'. Oh, and someone
gets a duffel-coat toggle rammed up his
nose. We
Say The 'Sting' in
the title is an errant pet scorpion (named in
honour of the former lead singer of the Police).
But the book isn't just about surviving an
encounter with this creature. It's about surviving
some of the unfortunate burdens life can put on a
bloke - like having barmy parents or an intellect
that you're reluctant to reveal in case you have to
join Brainy Kev's gang and start wearing a duffel
coat. It's also about surviving some seriously
dangerous situations, especially when your
girlfriend's ex makes Mike Tyson look like Little
Miss Muffet. Paul McDonald has
written one of the best kind of books - one where
it's possible to laugh and think at the same time.
And when events turn ugly, be prepared to be
shocked. In fact, prepare for that as soon as you
begin, because in this book, chapter headings tell
it like it is and you'll be faced with 'Attacked by
a Scratch Monster', 'Shot in Cold Blood' and
'Positively Maniacal' to quote a few of the tamer
ones. The plot moves quickly, taking the week day
by day as things get worse for Mac. It's a rapid
journey without any pauses and the events pile up
effectively into a gruesome collision at the end.
Songs of the era
are played out in the background, the fashions are
paraded and the as yet unrealised impact of a new
Prime Minister called Thatcher looms as the biggest
threat of them all. Paul McDonald successfully
evokes the last days of the seventies with both
fondness and disparagement. 'Surviving Sting'
is funny, violent and completely endearing. It's an
unexpected mix, but one that works incredibly well.
Review by: Rachel
Taylor |
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