Who is Tom Ditto? by Danny Wallace

What did Danny Wallace’s Shortlist paymasters think of his swipe here at damagingly aspirational men’s mags?It’s one attempt of many to skewer the absurdity of modern living. The titular Tom Ditto presents the morning news and weather for the fictional Talk London radio station, a hellish bastion of hipster conformity and corporate management think.  When his girlfriend suddenly deserts him his investigations uncover a mysterious group and lifestyle choice which will change his own irreversibly. 

The kernels of truth in Wallace’s observations play it far safer than the obviously inspirational Dice Man, while his psychological grand concept on sense of self could be battered and fried.  It’s a comfortably mainstream yet unarguably enjoyable take on the isolation of urban life, where malleable identity fills out into the human void.  Early gags hit at a moderate rate as he mimics the emptiness of circular, contemporary conversation with accurate yet stylised repetition.  While this opening is little more than a stretched version of his fortnightly magazine features, when he picks up the core narrative the book moves well and Wallace proves an entertaining storyteller.  Digressions into mysterious mock interviews display a more stylish prose tinged with genuine sadness.  A full novel polished this way might prove a winning identity for the author himself. [Alan Bett]