BOOK: The Late Hector Kipling - David Thewlis

Title: The Late Hector Kipling*
Author: David Thewlis
Genre: Novel
Publisher: Picador (2007)
*Advanced reading copy from uncorrected proofs
Pages: 342
Language: English
Rating: 8/10
Summary: Life is pretty good for Hector Kipling; his paintings are appreciated, he has his health, loving parents and a beautiful girlfriend. There is the occassional discussion with his friends Kirk and Lenny about who is the most talented (obviously he is, even if Lenny gets more recognition), but all in all: the future is bright. Until a couple of seemingly insignificant incidents cause him to stop and reconsider and his life starts to unravel with alarming speed.

Spoilerfree review
I loved the ease with which main character Hector paints the scenes; he is very to the point even in the most extreme situations. I could not relate to the massive amount of drinking and other substance abuse and often was quite disgusted by Hector's behavior. But despite not being familiar with the environment he lives in and my disdain of the 'artists' he associates with, the stupid conversations he has with his friends and colleagues sound oddly familiar to me.
(I quoted some scenes in my lj while I was reading the book: any material quoted from the book should be checked against a finished copy or with the publisher.)

This is not a book for the faint-hearted as it is filled with grime and it has a massive gross-out factor -especially at the end the depravity in both art and life reach a high-, but I relished the language and found the way things turn out very satisfying.