I have been reading a number of first novels recently and
decided to read Louise Wener’s debut, “Goodnight, Steve McQueen” even though it
dates back to 2002. I am so glad that I did; I think I enjoyed it more than any
other novel I’ve read over the past year.
The quality of the writing is outstanding, and Wener
skilfully creates a really entertaining set of characters with distinctive
voices. She writes in the first person through the eyes of Danny McQueen, a 29
year old who has spent his life dreaming of rock stardom. He is given an ultimatum
by his long-suffering girlfriend; make something of his life by the end of the
year or find a new girlfriend.
The novel has been compared to Nick Hornby’s “High Fidelity”
and to my mind that’s a reasonable parallel. Wener has a similar ear for both
for dialogue and for comedy, and I read the book in virtually a single sitting with
a huge grin on my face.
I particularly liked Wener’s minor characters, such as Danny’s
bandmate Vince and his obsessions with Kevin Rowland and finding the perfect
transitional shoe. Matty the drummer is another beautifully observed portrait, painfully
accurate and stopping just short of caricature.
In reading various reviews of the book I was astonished by
the amount of bile and bitterness aimed at Wener, which on the strength of this
debut seems completely unfair. Even the endorsement section at the front of the
paperback edition starts with a quote from The Scotsman “She can actually write”,
which is pretty demeaning. If anyone wants proof of the power of her writing
they should read “What’s wrong with being a mother?” a piece that she wrote for
The Guardian in 2006 which moved me to tears.
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