KEY POINTS:
A SHORT GENTLEMAN
By Jon Canter
Random House, $54
This is a comic novel with a main character who's a cross between Mr Bean and Mr Micawber.
It is a comedy of character and social context, and Canter scores a number of well-landed blows in satirising the "stiff upper lip" set.
The narrator of the book is Robert Purcell, who decides, aged 8, that he knows exactly what life holds in store for him. He achieves his lofty ambitions in the field of law but then it all falls apart when he is sent to prison.
Purcell is as unlikeable a main character as any in current literature. He is a good lawyer, but a poor human being, having no empathy or understanding of other people. Canter, to his credit, has Purcell remain true to character and although we never like him, by the end of the book we have an understanding of his world view.
There are many funny moments and as an intelligent commentary on a social class, it is a good read.
- Detours, HoS
