Book of Dave, Will Self

[NotQuiteCockney]

DH got it for me recently. I'm trying to get into it, but finding it a bit hard going (dialect etc). Anyone else read it?

(I've read a few of his books before, and generally liked them, although tbh his non-fiction architecture commentary was better for me than his fiction ... I'm sure I'm not getting some of the English jokes ...)

I started to read it and couldn't get in with the flow - I think it was trying to translate it all the time, stopped me reading it, if you know what I mean. DH is loving it though. But then he is a Will Self fan. I think it allows him to enjoy learning lots of new long words.

Will try again, I think, when he is finished.

Yes, I totally know what you mean.

I think he may be better suited to English readers, iyswim. I do struggle with the accents and so on, and I'm suspecting there are lots of funny in-jokes (place names, people names etc) that I'm not getting. Ok, I'm getting some of it (were 2 mate etc) but still ...

Are you not an English reader, then?
I am but I was struggling. And I'm local to the story as well!

There is a funny bit my DH showed me, where they are singing that fast food song, but it is all spelled phonetically.

Reminds me of Mots D'heures Gousses: Rames - same idea but in French. And funnier.

I'm Canadian. English is my first language, but British references sometimes don't work for me, iyswim.

One of his earlier books had a Fat Controller in it. I thought it was someone who controlled fat. (This was before I had the DSes, obviously. Now I just wish I didn't know who the farking fat controller was.)

I couldn't get into it either NQC. I kept finding I'd looked at all the words on a page and had no idea what I'd just read. DH claims he really likes it but I notice he doesn't actually read it ever.

TRy reading this out loud:

Et qui rit des cures d'Oc
De Meuse raines houp! de cloques.
De quelles loques ce turque coin
Et ne d'anes ni rennes,
Ecuries des cures d'Oc

I think that a reader is at a great disadvantage unless they have spent a large amount of time in london black cabs. And I haven't.

Ah, I live in London, and have for 10 years now. And I do spend some time in black cabs, but not much. (I prefer Addison Lee - who he namechecks! Don't spend that much time in their cars, either, though.)

That's cute, the hickory dickory dock thing.

Will is my 'if I could shag someone else'fantasy.The first day we moved to Brighton we stayed in a hotel overnight the day before.In the morning we got up really early and went down to the seafront and he was sitting on the beach.I nearly fainted Didn't daer speak to him as too starstruck and he was v stoned

I saw him do a reading once, he was very good. He's ... well, I wouldn't say 'cute', exactly, but something in that line ...

Ok, I'm enjoying this more. The dialect stops being obvious. Oh, and there's a glossary at the end, which I only discovered recently, but still ...

Finished it, it's good. Nobody else reading this?

I'm a quarter of the way through. It's getting easier - I do find it find it (like his others) very clever.

I have read most fo his books my favourite is Quantity theory of insanity

Yes, def very clever. Lots of funny word play. I do fear I'm missing lots of the jokes, thanks to not being English.

Just finished this, was really enjoying it until the end - don't really get it. Was waiting for some amazing punchline, loose- end-tying, well hope basically and it doesn't happen. Will re-read the last future section again for clues, can't believe it could end that unsatisfactorily. Feeling v sad.
(PS had slightly naughty dream about Will Self while reading this, both of us looking for somewhere quiet together for shagging purposes but my DH and kids kept getting in the way. How unimaginative am I!)