'It's Mark Haddon meets Kurt Vonnegut' (Observer)
'An eccentric young protagonist meets his match in a compelling comic debut' (The Bookseller)
'Extence's plotting is astute, and he handles the theme of euthanasia with an affecting delicacy' (Financial Times)
This debut novel from Gavin Extence treads a fine line between comic caper and poignant coming of age drama as our protagonist, nerdy Alex Woods, befriends a wise widower to form an improbable double act.
Alex's unconventional childhood, we learn about his single clairvoyant mother and his own conception somewhere near Stonehenge early on, has done little to prepare him for his teen years but, thanks to a chase from the school bullies, Alex lands crashing into the world of Mr Peterson - a typical pot smoking, Kurt Vonnegut reading, Vietnam vet living in suburban England.
Putting this slightly unfeasible back story to one side this is just the sort of literary pairing that can be forgiven as a device which drives the story on from set piece to set piece.
The unlikely couple's adventures ultimately take them to Switzerland where Alex fulfils his promise to support Mr Peterson in his decision to undergo euthanasia. Heavy stuff but written, with the emotional naivety of a 15 year old, the result is heart warming and, at times, uplifting.
Where the novel succeeds is in the character Extence creates in Alex Woods. The opening scene in which Alex is stopped at Dover customs with a packet of marijuana and an urn full of ashes is memorable becoming unforgettable when a loud blast of Handel's Messiah is used to delay an epileptic fit. This is a young man quite literally in the driving seat.
At other times the novel tries to hard to cram in sub plots which fail to fully develop. No doubt, Mr Extence could have delivered a second novel in here about Alex's relationship with the meteorite and the Natural History Museum.
No doubt we'll read much more from Gavin Extence and, who knows, we may even meet Alex Woods again.
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