David Annand

Bright Lights, Big Ulcer

The Illumination

By

Jonathan Cape 272pp £16.99 order from our bookshop

Magic realists need stoical characters. They should be the kind that will accept a metaphorical device – a talking dog, a break in the space–time continuum – and quickly get on with life as it was before, allowing the metaphor to do its work without its existence being constantly questioned. (It’s a wonder there isn’t a greater tradition of setting such novels in Britain; keeping calm and carrying on is exactly what’s required in these situations.)

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