Alan Sillitoe
1958
Around 215 pages
I was immediately sold on the premise of this novel. I love it when authors set challenges for themselves, like containing all the action in a short time frame. And it's good choice, as people are generally at their most interesting on their Saturday nights and Sunday mornings, present company excluded.
Arthur Seaton is a 22 year old worker at a bicycle factory. He has a few irons in the fire, including his coworker's wife, his coworker's wife's sister, and a young girl Doreen, who knows nothing about Arthur's proclivities.
Weekends take on a special significance when you hate your job. You have to fit all your livin' into a very small window. I guess that is what Arthur is trying to do, but he is still a rather reprehensible character. The only way he can get revenge on the Man is by treating women horribly.
I'm predisposed to like any novel written by somebody named Silly Toe, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Still, he is clearly a talented writing and I appreciated that his working class speak wasn't incomprehensible to anybody outside Nottingham.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
Adapted by Sillitoe into a 1960 film starring Albert Finney.
Adapted in 1964 was adapted by David Brett as a play, with Ian McKellen playing one of his first leading roles.
UP NEXT: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
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