Black Swan Green - David Mitchell

Would I be too emphatic in saying that this is one of the best books I have read all year? No, because quite simply it is.

Book Review by Claire Mapletoft | 13 Oct 2006
Many novels and literary works focus upon the griping of adolescence, and that frozen moment before a twelve year-old lurches into those illustrious teenage years, but none of them seem to capture so superbly the sheer desolation that those years can bring. 'Black Swan Green' accomplishes this, and then some. It's a humorous book, but this never detracts from the seriousness of the subject matter, it just makes it bittersweet. Our (most endearing) protagonist is Jason Taylor, a shy boy existing on the edges of Mediocrity and Popularity, if it were not for his stammer and poetic tendencies.

The book is set during the tumultuous reign of 'Monster Thatcher', the Falklands War and stalemate with Russia, a perfect backdrop to the tempestuous years of puberty. In contrast the location for events is sleepy Black Swan Green in deepest Worcestershire, a village with no namesake swans and one pub. This is a novel of contrasts, as we are confronted with a seemingly typical, middle class, nuclear family rocked by revelations of twelve year affairs and mountains of debt, and bullies truly receiving their comeuppance in spectacular fashion.

'Black Swan Green' is a fast paced, fluid work which cannot be put down. The action skips over time, paragraphs often being set months after the last one, but it works. Would I be too emphatic in saying that this is one of the best books I have read all year? No, because quite simply it is. [Claire Mapletoft]
David Mitchell was the best selling author of 'The Cloud Atlas'. 'Black Swan Green' is his fourth novel. He was once turned down for a job at McDonalds. Sceptre 2006, 16.99 HB http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth03A30M451712634910