Tim Lott

Tim Lott emerged in the UK in Nick Hornby's slipstream, and his early work is often similarly tagged as lad lit, featuring, as it does, men facing up to their responsibilities and "growing up".

Under the Same Stars is the third of his books I've read, following his Whitbread nominated White City Blue and the more recent The Love Secrets of Don Juan. Once again, it features a 40-something man, this time illustrator and aspiring fine artist Salinger Nash. Sal lives with his partner Tiane in a fictional London suburb and keeps his Prozac prescription hidden from her, which tells you something about their relationship.

Sal receives a call from his older brother Carson, whom, apart from a brief encounter at their mother's funeral, he hasn't seen for 20 years. Carson is now resident in post-Katrina New Orleans and tells Sal he has had a missive from their long lost father Henry, who exited their lives when the boys were 14 and 10, deserting their mother for the USA. Henry is apparently living is Las Cruces, New Mexico, and is dying. Carson suggests to Sal they set out to see their father one last time. Tiane initially encourages the reluctant Salinger, but at the airport, mysteriously becomes distant and he leaves wondering what their future together holds.

It is a promising premise for a road trip novel, and Under the Same Stars is very readable, although let down by some credibility issues. For example, we are asked to believe Carson has totally reinvented himself as an American, even down to his born again Christian faith. I guess there are British people like Carson out there, but I suspect they are very few and far between. Lott has to do this, however, in order to create several set pieces to highlight cultural differences, such as their visits to various southern eating establishments.

And this is the novel's other flaw: it does largely feel like a series of familiar set pieces, albeit well executed ones. The brothers couldn't be more contrasting personalities. Sal manages to lose Carson's car keys, and his beloved Lexus is stolen and then found by a grouchy Texas cop who, of course, has a heart of gold, and drives it all the way to New Mexico so they can be reunited with it. Sal also has an encounter with a Native American medicine woman which is, of course, a revelation to him.

Where Lott does to an extent break with convention is at the novel's climax, although some elements of its coda then rather spoil things again. I won't trouble you here with what these events are.

This, sadly, is a flawed novel from a writer who I know can do a lot better.… (mere)

OK Book. This about growing up and moving away from your mates.
The main character is called Frankie Blue who gets a girlfriend called Veronicaand thinks its time that he and his mates go their separate ways. They always meet up on August the 14th every year but this is the same day as Veronica's birthday. She doesnt want him to go he ends up going falls out with her and also falls out with his mates Colin, Tony and Nodge. Frankie becomes a loner decides to make up with his mates and also marries Veronica. Colin and Nodge go to the wedding but not Tony as he is a bully. This book will appeal to QPR fans.… (mere)

If a book is released as an Advance Review Copy, the publisher is probably trying to generate some advance buzz for it. Get some good reviews going ahead of it and make people want to buy this book. I think that, if that's the case, the book has some obligation to be good.

Fearless is what happens when an adult author tries to write a kid's book, but doesn't really know how. All language gets dumbed down, every little detail gets spelled out, exposition grows like mold. It's like Lott hasn't even read a children's book recently, much less has any skill in the writing of one. The dialogue is horrible. The plot might be okay in another writer's hands, but I have my doubts even about that. The characters--all given nicknames based on their personality quirks--are otherwise indistinguishable in terms of voice. The adjective-laden prose is reminiscent of nothing as much as high-school creative writing assignments. His attempts at making the book all dystopian sci-fi involve throwing the word "vidscreen" around as a substitute for TV.

I was going to give this two stars, but as I type up my thoughts and my cataloging of its faults, I can't come up with any reason to rate it even that highly. This is A Bad Book, and I can't see any reason to pretend it's not.… (mere)