2008-09-08 Debut tour de force

Taking Comfort by Roger Morris

This was the first published novel from Roger Morris and (unlike his more recently published works of historical crime fiction, under the name R. N. Morris) does not easily fit a recognised genre.

The plot of Taking Comfort unfolds with subtlety and some flashes of dark humour. One of the main themes is the psychological impact of different brands and the way that we cling to them as familiar signposts in a maelstrom of everyday choices. The author's observations on working life are deadly accurate and should bring a shiver of recognition to anyone who has ever been caught up in venal office politics. The main character, Rob, uses trophies to 'protect' him from random urban violence and an ill-defined but ever-present sense of threat, which pervades the narrative. The nature of this threat is unspoken, but the book is suffused with the fear of terrorism and other anonymous crimes.

The use of multiple viewpoints is well handled - the female characters are equally as convincing as the males - and gives the reader a strong sense of the wider context of the main character's increasingly bizarre experiences. The prose style has an edgy, experimental feel to it, which complements Rob's strange process of disintegration. Repetition is used to great effect, building complex insights from simple and direct language: a prose analogue of minimalism in music.

Taking Comfort is intense, memorable and highly recommended.