I picked this one up because my Dad was reading it and said it was amusing him. I’d been meaning to get to it and just not getting around to it for a while. It’s a comedic journal of a diffident man who likes to write witty poetry. The diary follows him through various small and large changes and dramas. Employment, unemployment, trying to become a writer, dealing with his ex’s new relationship, trying to be a father, friendships, enmities, and falling in love. All of it is here, documented for our entertainment.
While the diary itself was sometimes a bit slow, other times achingly awkward and frustrating, I was surprised that I actually really enjoyed most of the little poems and plays on words that are scattered throughout. They made me giggle, and that giggle was really what I was looking for from this book. Another thing I enjoyed was that because it’s structured like a diary, I could easily pick it up and put it down rather than having to read it straight through.
The best way I can describe this is that it’s like a cross between Adrian Mole and Bridget Jones. I think if you enjoyed the bumbling anti-hero thing Adrian had going or the accident-prone tragic singleton thing Bridget Jones offered, you’ll probably get a kick out of this one. It’s not quite as good as either of those, but it combines some of what worked in each into something new and yet familiar. If you’re looking for some light relief, this is one you could try.
Brian Bilston has decided to write a poem every day for a year while he tries to repair his ever-desperate life. His ex-wife has taken up with a new man, a marketing guru and motivational speaker who seems to be disturbingly influencing his son, Dylan. Meanwhile Dylan’s football team keeps being beaten 0–11, as he stands disconsolately on the wing waiting vainly to receive the ball. At work Brian is drowning in a sea of spreadsheets and is becoming increasingly confused by the complexities of modern communication and management jargon. So poetry will be his salvation. But can Brian’s poetry save him from Toby Salt, his arch nemesis in the Poetry Group and potential rival suitor to Brian’s new poetic inspiration, Liz? Worst of all Toby has announced that boutique artisan publishing house Shooting from the Hip will be publishing his first collection, titled This Bridge No Hands Shall Cleft, in the autumn. And when he goes missing Brian is inevitably the number one suspect.
Part tender love story, part murder mystery, part coruscating description of a wasted life, and interspersed with some of the funniest poems about the mundane and the profound, Diary of a Somebody is the most original novel you will read this year. – Goodreads
Book Title:Â Diary of a Somebody
Author:Â Brian Bilston
Series:Â No
Edition:Â Hardback
Published By:Â Picador
Released:Â June 13, 2019
Genre:Â Fiction, Humour, Diary
Pages:Â 392
Date Read:Â February 28-June 10, 2021
Rating: 5/10
Average Goodreads Rating:Â 3.90/5 (1,416 ratings)
