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Book Reviews Title The
Rotters' Club Fiction-Net
Rating Buy It
From Amazon.co.uk - BUY
NOW! Cover
Story Trotter, Harding,
Anderton and Chase: sounds like a legal
conglomerate, according to their wearily sarcastic
English master. But in fact they are a quartet of
young friends at a Birmingham school, and the
narrative of 'The Rotters' Club' is about to take
them on an unforgettable ride through the surreal
landscape of the 1970's. Sean Harding's
anarchic humour makes him a mythical figure, both
among his fellow pupils and at the girls' school
next door. Doug Anderton begins to absorb the
political lessons of his father, a leading shop
steward at British Leyland's Longbridge plant.
Philip Chase struggles to live with his parents'
faltering marriage and the collapse of his
progressive rock band, whose career is shorter than
a Yes concept album. And for Benjamin Trotter,
aspiring novelist, part-time composer and closet
Christian, life will never have any meaning until
he can find some way to make the beautiful Cicely
sit up and take notice of him. Together, these
friends inherit the editorship of their school
magazine, and soon new arguments begin to rage:
which is more worthy of the front page, the story
of a bitter industrial dispute in far-off London,
or the equally bitter sporting rivalry between the
loathsome Culpepper and Steve Richards, the only
black pupil in the entire school. We
Say On first
inspection, 'The Rotters' Club' would seem to be
the kind of book that readers don't have the
patience for anymore. Its subject matter is that of
a family saga - political and social unrest
intruding on the lives of the families in question
and sending ripples of effect through the
generations. In truth, this book does require a
certain amount of patience. There are lots of
characters with lots of different connections.
Until you are able to grasp exactly who is who, it
is a little difficult to follow. However,
perseverance will pay off and 'The Rotters' Club'
is definitely worth the effort. As a depiction of
the seventies, 'The Rotters' Club' is vivid and
evocative. If you actually lived through these
times, it serves as an important reminder. If you
didn't, it provides a much-needed lesson in recent
history. The broad scope of the novel is kept
interesting by the varied styles of narrative
deployed by Coe - there are articles from the
school newspaper, letters and shifts in location.
And although the book obviously has some major
political issues to address, the expression of the
characters as realistic people is never sacrificed
because of this. Nor is the style heavy or monotone
but operates on an entirely human level.
The plot is not
gripping or action packed but clearly, this is not
Coe's intention. There are some beautiful moments
of yearning in this book as well as moments of
terrible shock and despair. Overall, this leads to
a tone of emotional intensity. In conclusion,
'The Rotters' Club' is an intelligent and moving
book. The really good news is that Jonathan Coe is
going to write a sequel. Review by: Rachel
Taylor |
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