Maxwell Sim seems to have hit rock bottom. Estranged from his father, newly divorced, unable to communicate with his only daughter, he realizes that while he may have 74 friends on Facebook, there is nobody in the world with whom he can actually share his problems.Then a business proposition requires him to drive to the Shetland Isles. Setting out with an open mind, he sets out with a Prius full of toothbrushes and a friendly voice on his SatNav for company. But Max's trip doesn't go as planned, as he's unable to resist making a series of impromptu visits to important figures from his past who live en route. After a string of cruelly enlightening and intensely awkward misadventures, he finds himself falling in love with the soothing voice of his GPS system (Emma) and obsessively identifying with a sailor who perpetrated a notorious hoax and subsequently lost his mind. Eventually Max begins to wonder if perhaps it's a severe lack of self-knowledge that's hampering his ability to form actual relationships.
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"I don't have much to say on this book, other than I absolutely loved it. Right from the start I was drawn in by the endearing characters and quirky humour. Straight to the top as one my favourite books. " — Rhian (5 out of 5 stars)
"I don't have much to say on this book, other than I absolutely loved it. Right from the start I was drawn in by the endearing characters and quirky humour. Straight to the top as one my favourite books. "
" A very unusual book, but enjoyable "
" I think most men in theirs forty will find themselves sharing something with the protagonist. "
" I found this story interesting and a little quirky. Max has an amusing affair with his GPS unit and I'm not sure I like the way it ends, but I enjoyed reading the book. "
" Hilarious in places, but a little too heavily meta for me. "
" A theme is emerging: dysfunctional adults making peace with their parents. UGH! "
" Almost gave it 1 star for the terrible fucking ending. "
" A little slow to get into, but well worth it.Not the most attractive protaganist, but lots to say about modern life plus plenty of Lodgesque coincidences which I personally like "
" Jonathan Coe is one of my favourite authors and I really enjoyed this book. I love Coe's sense of humour and how he describes ridiculous situations without getting tied up in knots. "
" I loved this book and the ending was superb! "
" There were things that I liked a lot about this book like some fine dialog and interesting characters, but I was disappointed by what I consider a cop out ending and some parts seemed to drag on way too long. "
Jonathan Coe is the author of several novels, including What a Carve Up!, which won the 1995 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the French Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger. His other awards include the Prix Médicis Étranger and the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Writing.
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