“This is exactly what a novel should be doing in 2018” – Middle England by Jonathan Coe

"Middle England is awash with stories - the story of Benjamin's book, the story of Sophie's academic career, the story of Doug's romance with a Conservative MP - that could easily look cartoon-like if glibly passed over but which feel alive within the confines of the book, which feel funny and true and bittersweet. More than anything else, there is a comfort here. Hearing a warm, clever person reflect on the terrible lows and brief highs of the last decade is reassuring, will have you thinking, yes, this is exactly what a novel should be doing in 2018. Like John Lanchester, like Barbara Kingsolver, like Sam Byers, Coe is furiously writing about the world in which we find ourselves, and he writes with wit and with pathos, with sympathy and with frustration."

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