BelEdit Book Reviews
If you’ve ever found yourself simultaneously amused and irritated by a friend who just can’t seem to get it together, then The Book of George might feel like a familiar ride. This novel introduces us to George, a millennial anti-hero who embodies a certain kind of fecklessness that many readers will recognise.
An Oblomov for our times
George is a philosophy graduate with lofty, albeit vague, literary aspirations that never quite materialise. He navigates life with a mix of charm and obliviousness, often relying on his good looks and family connections to get by. His long-suffering girlfriend, Jenny, and his family members oscillate between patience and frustration with his perpetual inertia, indecisiveness and self-absorption.
The narrative unfolds in episodic snapshots, chronicling George’s misadventures from adolescence into his late thirties. From a panic attack that leads to a hospital visit and a subsequent injury, to a windfall squandered on ill-advised cryptocurrency investments, George’s life is a series of comedic yet poignant missteps.
Greathead’s writing shines with understated wit and ironic humour. There are echoes here – in the characters, style, tone and pacing – of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and A Man Called Ove, to take just two modern examples, but the character I am most reminded of is Oblomov, from Goncharov’s eponymous novel (1859). Like the archetypical Oblomov, George is portrayed as both exasperating and endearing, capturing the essence of a man who is both unusually apathetic and strikingly ordinary. Despite this, the narrative is thoroughly engaging, even gripping.
The parallels between the two novels, The Book of George and Oblomov, are notable: from the protagonists’ apathy to their financial mismanagement, avoidance of responsibility and inability to fully commit to a relationship, etc. … So many, in fact, that although this novel is not actually a retelling of Oblomov, the latter must at least have served as inspiration for The Book of George.
Like Oblomov, and as with all such men (or women, of course), George’s charm fades as the years pass while he remains stuck in his old patterns. His perpetual immaturity and his inability to move forward in his life are exemplified by the story’s episodic structure. Instead of a more traditional character arc, each episode is just a further illustration of how George fails to change in any real way.
Perhaps that’s the point. George’s story isn’t about grand transformations. The Book of George can be read as a meditation on the self-obsessed, spiritually immature aspects of contemporary adulthood — a reflection on a generation grappling with prolonged adolescence and the complexities of modern life. But as Goncharov has shown, it’s not exactly a ‘modern’ condition. There have always and will always be Georges and Oblomovs, largely carried through life by happenstance and other people.
The Book of George offers a sometimes funny, sometimes infuriating, yet continually poignant exploration of a man who, despite his flaws, is undeniably human. It had me alternately chuckling and contemplating the intricacies of personal growth — or the lack thereof.
My thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.
COVER – Special mention to designer Holly Battle for the beautiful cover design of the UK edition. She absolutely nailed it!
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