Frankie Boyle is best known for his caustic and often controversial comedy. His debut novel, Meantime, is very much cut from the same cloth. A rambling murder mystery set in Glasgow just after the 2015 Scottish Independence referendum, it features a protagonist who is near-constantly high on Valium and many bleak but funny one-liners. It also delves into AI, simulation theory, and the history of colonialism, while achieving moments of genuine poignancy.
In 2015 Glasgow, Felix McAveety is an unemployed drug addict whose best friend Marina has just been murdered. Wanting to bring her killer to justice, and not trusting the police to do so, he recruits his unstable neighbour Donnie and crime novelist Jane Pickford to help him with the investigation. However, the case quickly spirals out of control as Felix uncovers secrets that certain powerful individuals don't want revealed, and any of them could be next.
Despite taking many tropes from classic noir, the book that Meantime reminded me of most was Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon. It also features an amateur detective, whose judgement is impaired by drug taking, investigating a case that turns out to be a sprawling conspiracy. Both also feature some state-of-the-nation commentary and have a satirical tone. Where Meantime falls down is in pacing and narrative control; as the novel goes on, Boyle struggles to maintain the momentum, and the plot becomes somewhat frayed at the edges.
However, given that the novel starts out strongly, and what he gets right elsewhere, I found this forgivable. Felix was a convincing character, and his grief over losing Marina was very believable. Donnie added an element of unpredictability that I enjoyed, and Jane Pickford was well-drawn, even if she mostly seemed to exist so there was a character capable of actually solving the case. I also liked how Boyle drew out moments of melancholy and poetry, showing a natural talent for description and a bruised soul beneath the cynicism.
What also won’t surprise fans of Boyle is that between the drug-fuelled antics and crime genre trappings, it’s sharply political. Boyle is a staunch left-winger and supporter of Scottish independence, using the novel to criticise both the British government’s treatment of Scotland and the lacklustre state of the Left in the modern day. This ranges from effective and clever to the didactic, particularly when the characters have long conversations where they espouse what reads as Boyle’s own opinions. Some tighter editing and more attention paid to structure would have prevented these from feeling repetitive.
Overall, though, I thought Meantime was a good debut novel. It makes sense that a stand-up comedian would turn their hand to writing, since both require a solid grasp of language and an understanding of narrative. I found the plot intriguing, I thought it had things to say, and it made me laugh. While it could have used some tidying up, there was enough going on to keep me reading. If Frankie Boyle decides to write another book, I’d be glad to give it a go.
Review by Charlie Alcock
Despite taking many tropes from classic noir, the book that Meantime reminded me of most was Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon. It also features an amateur detective, whose judgement is impaired by drug taking, investigating a case that turns out to be a sprawling conspiracy. Both also feature some state-of-the-nation commentary and have a satirical tone. Where Meantime falls down is in pacing and narrative control; as the novel goes on, Boyle struggles to maintain the momentum, and the plot becomes somewhat frayed at the edges.
However, given that the novel starts out strongly, and what he gets right elsewhere, I found this forgivable. Felix was a convincing character, and his grief over losing Marina was very believable. Donnie added an element of unpredictability that I enjoyed, and Jane Pickford was well-drawn, even if she mostly seemed to exist so there was a character capable of actually solving the case. I also liked how Boyle drew out moments of melancholy and poetry, showing a natural talent for description and a bruised soul beneath the cynicism.
What also won’t surprise fans of Boyle is that between the drug-fuelled antics and crime genre trappings, it’s sharply political. Boyle is a staunch left-winger and supporter of Scottish independence, using the novel to criticise both the British government’s treatment of Scotland and the lacklustre state of the Left in the modern day. This ranges from effective and clever to the didactic, particularly when the characters have long conversations where they espouse what reads as Boyle’s own opinions. Some tighter editing and more attention paid to structure would have prevented these from feeling repetitive.
Overall, though, I thought Meantime was a good debut novel. It makes sense that a stand-up comedian would turn their hand to writing, since both require a solid grasp of language and an understanding of narrative. I found the plot intriguing, I thought it had things to say, and it made me laugh. While it could have used some tidying up, there was enough going on to keep me reading. If Frankie Boyle decides to write another book, I’d be glad to give it a go.
Review by Charlie Alcock
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