I found this to be an unusual book. I quite liked the detached unemotional style of writing to reflect the main character's approach. It's very much a story of the problems of being an aging middle class man in 21st century England who has been rejected by his wife...and I'm in many of those categories so there's an intrinsic interest for me. I don't think he is a misogynist, he seems more of a misanthrope to me, and yet he wants to feel the love by others. He can see this dilemma and so he is willing to compromise his outward posture in order to avoid conflict with people who might be willing and able to offer him something. I think this type of apparent (but not really genuine) compromising approach is taken by many people, so I was interested in Read's presentation of such a person.

On the stregth of this novel, Read hasn't made it onto my "favourites" list, but I liked this book enough that I put his first novel, "A Married Man", on my wish list ( )