Lionel Asbo: State of England

Prison. If you love social satire and superb writing, you’re likely to enjoy Martin Amis’ novel, Lionel Asbo: State of England. The lower class world of modern London provides the energy for Amis to display his great writing talent. Protagonist Lionel Asbo is a thug and a sociopath who changed his name from Pepperdine to Asbo, as a homage to his major accomplishment in life thus far: anti-social behavior orders from the time he was three years old. Another skill is his ability to train dogs to be vicious. The calmest periods in Lionel’s life are when he is in prison. While there he learns that he has won 140 million pounds in the lottery. The result is that he has become a celebrity thug and his over the top behavior is exactly what a reader would expect. The remaining members of the cast of characters are presented with precision, especially nephew Desmond Pepperdine, and Lionel’s mother, Grace. The language is pitch perfect in its garble, and the humor soars. There’s love and hate on these pages, true evil and abiding goodness. Readers who appreciate fine writing and careful language selection are those most likely to enjoy this novel. Rating: Four-star (Highly Recommended) Click here to purchase Lionel Asbo from amazon.com.