Number 11 by Jonathan Coe
Number 11 is a well-written satire depicting today’s Britain; the differences in the lives of the rich and the poor, the politics, social media, the entertainment industry. It consists of a series of intertwined stories that cover several aspects of our contemporary country with significance on the number 11 that appears in each story.
There is murder, there is reality TV and celebrity, there is the rich and the poor and there is a disenchanted public. Well worth the time, this is a book that is simultaneously funny, sad and frightening.
Themes:
Politics
Entertainment
Social media
Wealth
The gap between the rich and the poor
Britain
Humanity
Favourite quote from the book:
“I never would have imagined that, in the very midst of a city as big as this, there could be a house enfolded in so much silence.”
About the author:
Jonathan Coe is a British writer and novelist. His work often has political references/influences and has often won him literary awards. He won the John Llewellyn Rhys prize and the French Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger prize for What a Carve Up!. Coe is a prominent figure in the literary and entertainment world, having been a judge for the Man Booker Prize in 1996 and a jury member in the Venice Film Festival (1999) and the Edinburgh Film Festival (2007).
Where to buy:
Foyles
Waterstones
Wordery
LittleWordNerd rating: 3 / 5
