The Beat Surrender

It’s funny but on the press release that i’ve just dug out for this book it has a great quote from Kevin Sampson saying how good he thinks it. I say funny because I was telling my friend about the book the other day and when he asked what it was like style wise, I said a cross between The Rotters Club by Jonathan Coe and Awaydays by Kevin Sampson.

Primarily it’s set in the music business as we catch the tail end of Killing Stars frontman Barrett’s music career, the familiar story of entering the business with ideals and principles but eventually losing all that as he gets sucked into the corporate machine. Yeah I know what you are thinking this has all been done before, on that part you are right, but Hodkinson out does Sampson (he did a similar book called Powder) and the rest with this book.

The thing is though it also has plenty of interesting twists, underpinning the present day story of the failing musician is a childhood friendship between Barrett and Carey that starts out with them forming their first group together in the back drop of Thatchers Britain. Alternate paragraphs jump between the past and the present gradually drawing closer together and filling in the gaps, including a shock revelation towards the end (I won’t spoil it).

It’s a brilliantly realised concept that will have you laughing out loud, feel your heart streings being tugged and generally willing the characters on through the various stages of their lives, I really couldn’t put this book down from it drawing me in within the first few pages to it coming to it’s conclusion.

A rare piece of writing in that I can really associate with all aspects of the book and i’ve never played an instrument in my life, the perfect read for your holidays, you’ll be gutted when it finishes I promise you.

The Last Mad Surge Of Youth is out now and published through Pomona Books.