The Sportswriter

Almost put this down after 50 pages but there was something hypnotic about living so completely in this delusional man's head. The main adjective Bascombe uses to describe himself is “dreamy” and the whole novel - almost 400 pages to describe a weekend - is very fantastical, if not nightmarish. Frank is so self-assured it takes a while to realise how weak and pathetic he actually is. Everything he says out loud he assures us isn't how he really feels, or what he really thinks. I was surprised when Vicki punched him in the mouth but by the end the surprise is why more people in his life haven't done the same thing.