"He congratulated himself on his foresight in constructing that dipsomaniacal son for the friend who was putting himself up in New York. Letting them enter one's base of operations was to be avoided whenever possible."
-- One Fat Englishman by Kingsley Amis
In this passage, protagonist Roger Micheldene is pleased with himself for inventing a zany excuse for why he and his casual paramour cannot meet at his place. The whole book is Roger seducing various women, Roger drinking, Roger eating, and Roger arguing literature or religion with academic types. Typical Amis. And as hilarious as always.
Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.
I love the cover on this one. My teaser is from the Chocolate Snowman Murders and can be found here
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm going to resist--for a sane, 24-hour waiting period--adding this book to my TBR stack.
ReplyDeleteMy teaser is here: http://jockstewart.typepad.com/writers_notebook/2010/01/teaser-tuesday-death-with-interruptions.html
Malcollm
I'm in the mood for a funny book like this one. Nice tease!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments and the links! This is a funny book, even though the hero is particularly unlikeable. Amis is a great combination of humor and very intelligent writing.
ReplyDeleteBonus points for word use, too! Quite a tone-setter.
ReplyDeleteYou know you're dealing with a very good writer when the protagonist is unlikeable, yet you enjoy the story. Great teaser! Sounds like you're really enjoying the book.
ReplyDeleteMy own teaser is at Bookishgal.
J.G. -- Yes, "dipsomaniacal" is such a great word! So much more fun to say than the prosaic "alcoholic."
ReplyDeleteShiny -- Yes, I am enjoying it. It isn't my favorite Amis novel, but it is a good one. Thanks for visiting and for the link.