Ah, another unlikeable hero by Kit Derrick! Or is he? Reviews seem divided on the matter, which is always a good sign.
This is probably the most accessible of Kit Derrick’s novels for a new starter to his work, and is a rollicking tale, mixing V for Vendetta with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The premise is simple. A run of the mill, imperfect and grumpy everyman starts sharing his philosophies and thoughts with the world via the new-fangled internet. Sometimes deliberately provocative, sometimes rambling, his words, uploaded as anonymised video clips, take on a life of their own, and his pseudo-philosophy makes him an internet sensation, a figurehead for disenfranchised voices. The problem is, when the World has that anonymous figurehead, it no longer needs the actual man, and the words can be used for any purpose people want. The book is darkly humorous, but the humour is very black, and quite unsettling in places.
Some of the philosophy ‘sermons’ are uncomfortable to read, but you can see that this is part of the intention, showing how the words of an internet troll can be taken seriously, how rationality and common sense will lose out to the mob mentality, and how dangerous a platform like the internet can be. The book was written before the rise of the influencer and social media, but it uncannily prescient today.
Stylistically, the novel can be challenging in places. Derrick deliberately adopts an array of different voices and formats, which don’t always hang together as neatly as they might, with web pages, dialogue, altering viewpoints and informal language mixed together, though I suspect this is deliberate in shaping a narrative of a fractured world and fractured protagonist. Some of the supporting characters are a little one-dimensional, but as the narrative is as much parable as it is realism that can be forgiven, and there is plenty left open to interpretation, with shadows and hints that not everyone may be a supporting character. It is interesting to consider whether the parable is about the actions of the main character, or wider society, and either interpretation works. There are definitely experimental elements to this book, which might not be as apparent on first reading, but elements such as the switches in the character’s name (Dave to David depending on company and context) and different medium’s that build the voice of the protagonist are clearly carefully chosen.
Some of the linguistic and grammatical choices might not be to everyone’s taste, but the narrative is fast-paced enough to carry most readers through. The ending is arguably a little too fast, but the pace is justifiable as the rapidly acceleration loss of control is a part of the story.
So, is Dr David Dunn unlikeable? Ostensibly and outwardly yes, but in this reader’s view he is intentionally a reflection of the society in the book. Initially harmless, if egotistical, needy, and self-opinionated, he is the imperfect everyman hoping to change the world from a deluded sense of superiority, but with good intentions. As the book continues, and the wider world, and those around him, prove more and more unreliable and untrustworthy, his initially tongue-in-cheek observations at his fellow man’s Pelagian opportunities for improvement vanish, and he becomes a lost voice in the crowd himself, shouted down for trying to correct his own mistakes and arrogance. He is the martyr, and comes to realise that the martyrdom means nothing, but he still feels the need to try. He isn’t all bad. A bit like the novel.
On the plus side, following some independent and critical comments in a review, he had the good sense to edit the book so the currently available version no longer has unintentional punctuation errors and bag grammar. Any that remains is, apparently, quite intentional.
It’s a decent place to start if you want to try Derrick’s writing (though he probably wouldn’t thank me for saying it, as I believe he likes his later work more) but why not give it a try. It certainly gives a flavour of his writing. Sometimes over-clever, sometimes not quite hitting the heights he hopes for, but an enjoyable (if not fun) novel, and one that will make you think afterwards.
Available from Amazon – mybook.to/MITB
Stay safe,
Kit