Number 11 - Softcover

Coe, Jonathan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1101972807 ISBN 13: 9781101972809

Publisher: Vintage, 2017

Synopsis

Beginning in the early years of this century, Number 11 follows two friends, Alison and Rachel, as they come of age. As the narrative progresses from the aftermath of the Iraq War to the present day, its scope broadens to include others who are variously connected to these two girls: Alison's mother, a has-been singer, competes on a grisly reality TV show; Rachel's university mentor finally confronts her late husband's obsessive search for a German film he saw as a child; a young police constable investigates the seemingly unrelated deaths of two stand-up comedians; and a giant spider lurks in the darkness beneath one of London's most staggeringly expensive neighborhoods. Combining his signature humor, psychological insight and social commentary, Jonathan Coe holds up a disquieting, unforgiving mirror in which to reflect a world where the systems are broken and everyone can--and perhaps must--name his or her own price.

About this title

Review:

"Darkly funny. . . . An open-choked literary shotgun, doing the maximum amount of satirical damage to the widest possible swath of targets. . . . Maybe it's the perfect book for our time." --NPR

"A sequel of sorts to Coe's The Winshaw Legacy. . . . Weighty topics are leavened by a mischievous narrative and a gothic humor." --The New Yorker

"A novel bulging with comedic riches. . . . Richly enjoyable, densely textured and thought-provoking entertainment." --Financial Times

"Raucous and ridiculous fun. . . . [Number 11] deepens and affirms Coe's reputation as the best English satirical novelist of our times." --The Spectator

"A reflection on all that is corrupt and dispiriting about modern life--from free-market capitalism to social-media bullying. . . . You can't stop reading. . . . I was haunted for days." --Liz Hoggard, The Independent

"A literary crossword puzzle of a political novel, disguised in the form of a piece of fiction. . . . You're in the presence of Britain's arguably best current novelist." --The Buffalo News

"A very good book indeed. . . . What Victorians called 'a condition of England' novel." --The Times (London)

"Number 11 is undoubtedly a political novel. It is also an interrogation of the purposes and efficacy of humour in exposing society's ills, and a spoof on horror B-movies (its deus ex machina comes in the form of giant spiders)." --The Guardian

From the Back Cover:

This is a novel about the hundreds of tiny connections between the
public and private worlds and how they affect us all.

It's about the legacy of war and the end of innocence.

It's about how comedy and politics are battling it out and comedy might have won.

It's about how 140 characters can make fools of us all.

It's about living in a city where bankers need cinemas in their basements and others need food banks down the street.

It is Jonathan Coe doing what he does best ­ - showing us how we live now.

'You can't stop reading....I was haunted for days' The Independent

'No modern novelist is better at charting the precariousness of middle-class life' The Observer

'Read Number 11 to see what an odd country Britain has become' The Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1101972807
• ISBN 13: 9781101972809
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352