The Rotters' Club

This was our first selection. Then we took the time to write a proper review...
"In general, Books Ta Mère thought the book promised much… but delivered little. It lacked depth and ideas, and was full of half-finished narratives and underdeveloped characters – a number of Benjamin’s friends, such as “best friend” Phillip, drifted in and out of the narrative to such an extent that it was hard to remember anything about them when they cropped up again.
Some enjoyed Coe’s use of letters, billboard notices etc to advance the narrative. Others found these devices distracting and amateurish. The devices were, however, used to unravel some of the more interesting elements of the story – such as the episode featuring two Scandinavian boys shaped by a family holocaust tragedy -– but others argued they simply exposed the emotional voids in the rest of the book.
And did Coe bite off too much by trying to deal with what seemed like all of the major issues of ’70s Britain?
Some members of the group did enjoy the nostalgic look at an era they lived through. And it should not be forgotten that the book was eminently readable. It just would have been nice if Coe had tied all the narrative’s loose ends together. Could he have had a sequel in mind… oh look there it is now on the bookshelves!" -- Adam