the Book Brothel

Reviewed by L.D.Y.

Hardcover (available), 438 pages, 2004

Rating: 10/10

Reason for Reading: The 2004 winner of my favourite award, the Booker Prize.

Synopsis: In the year 1983, 20-year-old Nick leads what is, to him, a very complicated life. He’s a wannabe trying desperately to fit into a wealthy, politically active family, convinced that he’s got the smarts and culture to pull it off. He’s desperate to impress his friend Toby’s father, Gerald, an ambitious man of politics with a determination to make it into Prime Minister Thatcher’s inner circles, but it’s going to take a lot to win the approval of a group that speaks casually of dukes and the expensive artwork hanging in their homes. Nick’s dilemma? He believes that the thing he wants the most - to find a man he can love and that will love him in return - is his biggest obstacle to acceptance by the elite crowd.

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