The Book Tower

There’s that buzz you get from discovering new authors that you love. The latest for me is Dan Rhodes, and I’ve just finished his rather wonderful Gold. This is his fifth novel, described by The Times as savagely funny, startlingly original. I can’t argue with that; I suspect that when people describe books as laugh out loud funny they don’t actually mean that but Gold is indeed laugh out loud funny. It’s let your eyes water in a giggling fit funny, put the book down while you pull yourself together funny. Gold had members of my family asking me what I was laughing at and if I was alright. Books don’t do that to me very often.

Gold is hilarious, well written, peculiar and strangely moving. I think I love Dan Rhodes because I suspect that all his novels are like this. I suspect he is a consistently good writer. Gold follows a young Japanese girl called Miyuki on her annual holiday to an eccentric Welsh village, full of idiosyncratic characers who congregate in the local pub, drinking beer and competing in pub quizzes. They go under unusual nicknames such as Tall Mr Hughes, Short Mr Hughes and Septic Barry, but all are beautifully crafted characters that could fill a novel of their own – although one of the skills of Rhodes is that he can effortlessly flesh out his characters by only hinting at their full biography. Miyuki appears to lurk in the shadows, leading a lonely existence; holidaying alone every year, filling herself with beer and junk food, reading endlessly (I know, there’s nothing wrong in that) and slowly filling us in on the backstory of her life. Rhodes makes Miyuki – fairly ordinary – a fascinating, real and touching character (another skill) and Gold sails far above the simple comic novel I was anticipating.

Put simply, if you want to add Dan Rhodes to the ever growing list of your favourite authors then read Gold. You can then attempt to answer the difficult questions of how to form a band but never perform or write any songs, whether it’s in your best interest to become a violently rude pub landlord, how to make your contact lenses dance on a hot stove and if Frazzles really make a perfect side dish. But best of all just enjoy the brilliantly subtle and moving ending. I read the last page twice. I’ll read the whole book again. Intrigued? Then read it.

There’s nothing like discovering new authors you love, and Dan Rhodes has given me the best buzz in a long time.