A never-coming-of-age tale

Across 14 chapters, we chronologically follow the fortunes of George, from age 12 through to almost 40. George is an unlikeable character and we should be thankful that he is a fictional creation, because in real life no one would tolerate his deliberate and calculating cruelty.

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Early on, we are told "His goal in life was to be authentic, no matter the consequences." But to reach almost 40 and still be tone-deaf to the feelings of others is quite a stretch, even for someone who's made up.

Kate Greathead's first novel, Laura & Emma, about a single mother raising her daughter in upper-class New York society, was generally well received. The author was part of the American version of the celebrated British documentary series Up. Called Seven Up!, 7 plus Seven, Fourteen Up! and so on in the UK, where it continues. In the US, the series was called Age 7 in America and followed the participants up to age 21. This chronological sequencing of life seems to have followed the author into her fiction.

At 22, George gets his first job, as a waiter. The results are inevitable. After two weeks, his boss sums up his performance: "You're a terrible waiter. The worst I've ever had. If you weren't good looking, I'd have fired you yesterday." But searching for any kind of positive, this is where George meets his first girlfriend, Jenny. They become an item, more or less, on and off, for the next 10 years.