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Toby Litt's first novel begins with the death of Bob
Dylan in 1966. Immediately, you begin to think that this may be a piece
of speculative fiction, the sort of novel where Oliver Cromwell has
discovered the machine gun first and utilized it to bloodthirsty effect.
Mary is equally puzzled when she walks into Neal's bedroom at a party in
Bedford. There she also meets Jack and Maggie, who profess all ignorance
of Eric Clapton. From the way they dress, from the titles on Neal's
bookshelves, and from the bongos that Neal's playing, Mary soon guesses that
she has walked in on a group of Beatniks celebrating the 29th anniversary of
Dylan's 'death'. Not his real death, of course, just a metaphor for
Dylan's apparent betrayal of folk music by embracing rock in '66. Mary
can't help but be antagonistic, and is therefore labelled a 'square'.
That would be the end of it - except that Mary has just fallen in lust with
Jack, a youth who refers to women as 'chicks'...
Toby Litt has created an exceptional narrator in
Mary, and he really seems to have walked around in her shoes, for he expresses
her mentality so well, from her predilection for 'indulgence baths' to her
desire for that perfect summer dress. If that makes her sound quite
superficial, well then that applies to the 'men' in this novel also. Both
Jack and Neal are obsessive about living up to the Beat ideal, eschewing any
pop culture born after 1966, and by wearing sunglasses indoors. Although
Mary is uneasy with such beliefs, she also wants to belong to this 'cool' gang,
despite the fact that Jack's female followers seem to approach a harem in
number.
It could be said that Litt's protagonists are anti-heroes,
so numerous are their faults. However, Toby Litt is never judgmental,
never condemning. Instead, he provides an uncannily accurate insight into
what it is like to be young today. Most readers will curl up in
embarrassment as Litt exposes their secrets. You've only got to read
that delicious scene between Neal and Mary in Bedford Park to feel as though
you're eavesdropping on the most intimate details of your own past. Toby
Litt allows you to wallow in such painful pleasures, the mental masochistic
perversities that we've all indulged in. Mary willingly says yes when
really she knows that she should be saying no. But she's not evil: just
human, with all the ugliness and attractions that incurs. It helps that
Litt's characters are all in their early twenties, when life has to be
taken seriously in all its absurd and tragic glory. Having said
that, I couldn't help but think that it would be better if they were all still
in their teens. As Mary remarks of the books in Neal's Beat library,
they all seem "a little adolescent".
However, these characters are so vivid that they
really carry the story along. Toby Litt has provided a strong
structure, but one which is subtle and unobtrusive. The plot doesn't butt
into these characters' lives and make a nuisance of itself. It helps that
Jack and Neal are so much into Beat culture, though, especially Jack Kerouac's
'On the Road'. None of Litt's characters seem to know where they're
going, even if they are following a pre-1966 'hip' map. Mary sticks
her thumb out, and Neal and Jack are only too eager to pick her up.
There's a telling point near the end of the novel where Mary and Jack debate
whether they should have picked up a hitchhiker. What if the hitcher had
been a psycho killer? But Jack has fewer reservations about picking
Mary up, letting her tag onto the Beat Route, unaware that she will have a more
devastating impact...
The only person who resents Mary's presence is
Maggie. And for good reason, it seems, as Mary leads Neal astray.
But Maggie is Mary's rival, so she just doesn't listen, even when Maggie tries
to tell her about the seditious and delicious practice of yabyum.
Meanwhile, Mary's parents can't help but make 'assumptions' and preclude
her need for drama by talking in clichés. Neal may have changed his name
as a reflection of his devotion for the Beatnik Cassady, but it would seem that
Jack has more to hide. The world of the Beatniks doesn't seem like a good
place to beat the retreat though. Litt skillfully weaves the story of the
Beats into the background, particularly that of Jack Kerouac (note that like
Neal, Kerouac had a cat to whom he was devoted). So much so, that Jack
seems determined to follow Kerouac's literary tire tracks, right up to the
legendary Big Sur. Trouble is, even in a huge country like America, the
road's got to end somewhere...
This novel is not just homage to the Beats
though, for the author has provided the most compelling portrait that I've ever
read of my own generation. Toby Litt is determined to have us wanting more, and
admirably leaves closure to the reader, and so ensures this novel's
immortality. It certainly hits the beat.
AuthorTrek Rating 9/10
Kevin Patrick Mahoney
|
Visit
our Toby Litt page
for Toby Litt biography, Toby Litt bibliography, Toby Litt short stories, and
Toby Litt interviews |
