High Society - Softcover

Elton, Ben

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0552999954 ISBN 13: 9780552999953

Publisher: Black Swan, 2003

Synopsis

The war on drugs has been lost but for want of the courage to face the fact that the whole world is rapidly becoming one vast criminal network. From pop stars and princes to crack whores and street kids. From the Groucho Club toilets to the poppy fields of Afghanistan, we are all partners in crime.

HIGH SOCIETY is a story or rather a collection of interconnected stories that takes the reader on a hilarious, heart breaking and terrifying journey through the kaleidoscope world that the law has created and from which the law offers no protection.

About this title

Review:

Ben Elton's new novel High Society initially appears to be a cautionary tale about Britain today, but its vision of a society totally in thrall to criminality has elements of the visionary novel about it. Happily, the state of the nation is not (yet) quite as awful as it's rendered in this terrifying kaleidoscope. We're taken into a world in which drug use holds total sway, and the whole world essentially functions as a single criminal network. From royalty and the upper crust to drug abusers and prostitutes--right across the social spectrum--we are (in Elton's unsparing universe) plunging into a criminal world.

Elton's cast of characters is massive, but all (notably a government minister who is trying to push through a bill to legalise drugs) are etched in with maximum vividness. Interestingly, although Elton casts a cold eye across the whole of society (including an unforgiving look at the media) the final effect of the book is anything but bleak. All the trademark wit is here, along with a sense of focus that is considerably more sophisticated than anything Elton has tackled before. As a serious satirical novel (yes, there is such a thing), High Society makes an indelible mark. --Barry Forshaw

Review:

"A fix of high comedy from a writer who provokes almost as much as he entertains" (Daily Mail)

"As I raced to the end, I found myself applauding Elton. This is a tough subject tackled with courage and commitment" (Will Hutton Observer)

"Packed with Elton's trademark sharp wit and biting social commentary.. colourful and thought-provoking" (Waterstone's Books Quarterly)

About this edition

• Publisher: Black Swan
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0552999954
• ISBN 13: 9780552999953
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384