Gil Hates Everything

“Troubles” by J. G. Farrell.

(Sarah suggested I give this series of reviews this time-honoured title, and why not indeed.)

This book won the ‘lost’ 1970 Booker Prize – a change in the rules meant some books had missed out on the competition, so in 2010 they did a retrospective thing and chose this one.

It’s a book about The Troubles TM (the 1920s version) as experienced by the staff and guests of a dilapidated Irish hotel, the Majestic. An English Major arrives, believing (although not totally confident) that he’s engaged to the daughter of the owner, but it turns out she’s dying, and everyone, especially the owner, acts in strange and incomprehensible-to-an-Englishman ways. Despite which, the Major ends up staying for some years, trying to forestall the eventual collapse of the hotel, both as business and building.

This book has one of my least favourite things, a central character who, despite being surrounded by all the other characters acting in irritating and nonsensical ways, nevertheless sticks around and starts acting nonsensically himself. A tragic farce, you might say. It’s more than a bit cringe, as you might say if you were trying to sound modern. However, it did hold my attention, partly because the Troubles are handled nicely, creeping in to dominate the story in a slow but remorseless way. Also, it has one of my favourite things, a huge house that’s a character itself; the Majestic is described vividly, and you feel its tragedy more than any of the characters’, really.

So on balance I enjoyed it, I think? And I presume in 1970 it would have seemed impressive. So, sure, I’ll give this one a passing grade.