Hugging the Boab (Paperback)

Language: English

Published by Independently Published, 2025

9798266220409

  • Softcover
  • New
See all details

Seller: Grand Eagle Retail, Bensenville, IL, U.S.A.Grand Eagle Retail

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since October 12, 2005

Softcover

Condition: New

£ 11.65

 Free Shipping 
Ships within U.S.A.

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket
Free 30-day returns

Item description from seller

Paperback. Two-thirds of this short story collection, centers on the absurd world of the ex-pat and the exile. It is a rich and bathetic mine of tragicomedy. The stories set in Egypt and Ecuador have coalesced around the buffoonish dyspeptic alcoholic Belshaw in Egypt, and the curmudgeonly 'I' of the Ecuadorian stories. These people are archetypes of course, but they are individuals too; choleric mediocrities at war with the modern world and in retreat from themselves and a Britain they no longer recognize. They drink too much, are savagely henpecked and endure the profound humiliation that they are only successful because they live in The Third World. Life, as it does all over the world that was once 'the pink in the map', revolves around a bar or hotel, which in Alexandria is 'The Portugese Club', a grubby, sweaty hole, all cigarette-burnt swirly carpets and red plush, and in Quito, the Hotel Quito; a faded monument to the swinging 'sixties. The setting is exotic, vivacious, colourfull even, but their lives are strangely tawdry and as dull, in some ways, as any lived in the suburbs of this Septic Isle. These are stories about second raters who yearn for a Britain-that-never-was and live out lives of unearned privilege. The talk is always the same - Marmite, Branston Pickle, a good pint, cricket scores and Bolton Wanderers, and the moaning only stops at Closing Time. Yet, the light-stunned setting of the stories will not be denied and impossible things, magical things, happen in these improbable places; full as they are of saturnine barman, scheming brujas, freckle-hazed Australian hippies, evil Boabs, and pantomime Irishmen. The last third of the collection has Britain for its setting; but a haunted Britain in many ways - a country of broken dreams, dashed hopes, ghosts, guisers, banshees and shades. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. …

Seller Inventory # 9798266220409

Title
Hugging the Boab (Paperback)
Author
Keith McLean
Publisher
Independently Published
Publication year
2025
Condition
new
Binding
Paperback
Language
English
ISBN 13
9798266220409

Grand Eagle Retail

Bensenville, IL, U.S.A.

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since October 12, 2005

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Item6 to 14 business days6 to 16 business days
First item£ 0.00£ 0.00
Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.

Payment methods

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay

Seller's business information

APOLLO ONLINE CORP.

605 Geddes Street
Wilmington, DE U.S.A. 19805