Topping & Company Booksellers of St Andrews
3 April at 18:13
Ahead of our event with Booker Prize nominee Andrew O’Hagan next week, James, pictured right, has devoured the brilliant, ‘Caledonian Road’. He really, really loved it and was desperate to share his thoughts:
‘There is so much to say about this state-of-the-nation novel, so I’ll endeavour to be my most succinct!
Andrew O’Hagan’s fantastic new novel ‘Caledonian Road’ attempts to create a microcosm of London & British life across this titular road. On the one side you have the stratospheric social climber, Professor Campbell Flynn, an art historian from the tenements of Glasgow, who now brushes shoulders with Britain’s social elite. On the other, you have Milo Mangasha, Campbell’s student, who at turns is beguiling and provocative, hailing from a world that while geographically close, in reality, couldn’t be further away.
As we follow the course of Campbell’s collapse on the shatteringly fragile ice of his social standing, we also encounter a plethora of brazen, dizzying characters that enliven this, what I would best call, Dickensian novel. It’s not often that a book comes along that grips me as much as this one; it’s funny, expertly written, and meticulous in its construction. I implore you to pick up a copy, and even better, to visit us on the 10th of April for what promises to be a special event with Andrew O’Hagan. We don’t have many places left, so book on now!’
Top of page: Booker Prize nominee Andrew O’Hagan who wrote the brilliant, ‘Caledonian Road’.