Set on a grim council housing estate in the late 1970s, MP Thorp's The Man With The Ants In His Eyes is a dark comedy that follows the escapades of Oliver Corrander (or Spaz), a twelve year old boy.
It is a disjointed stream of consciousness that meanders, a bit haphazardly, through scenes of Spaz and his English working class mates urinating into buckets of potatoes outside the local chip shop, throwing stones, smashing windows, swearing, smoking, setting fires, starting fights and stealing cars. Although they come across more as rapscallions than the hardcore criminals they’d like to think they are.
The mystery of a dead man found in the woods strings Oliver's tale together. Though the title of the book refers to this mute character, and though we discover him quite early on in the story, the book is not about him. It is about the boy that finds him. This is probably a good thing as even the bumbling Inspector Clouseau would have solved the murder mystery that limps through the tale in minutes.
The ending seems to have been rushed. I got the impression that the author saw the finish line and began to sprint towards it. And, as MP Thorp decided that chronology was for wimps, you never really know when or where you are. Are you in a flashback or in the main body of the story? I found I had to flick back through it a couple of times to get my bearings.
Having said that it is an enjoyable read. The characters, though their antics are sometimes a little disturbing, are believable and generally likeable.
The author's use of dictionary definitions throughout the dialogue is refreshing and I found myself searching The Clash, Buddy Holly and Elvis Costello tracks on Spotify as Oliver recorded them off the radio.
It's a charming tale that made me laugh in places. I was anxious for the characters once or twice throughout the narrative. And parts of the story hit a nerve and saddened me.
It didn't change my life or leave me mourning its voice for days, the way some great novels have, but it was a delightful distraction.
The Man With The Ants In His Eyes is available in ebook format from Really Blue Books.
