Identity Crisis

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Even more so when Matlock very publicly struggles to get his middle-aged head around the notion of Sammy’s chosen pronouns. It all plays into the hands of the people who’re terrified the world is being taken over by non-straight non-binary nons-, and that the heterosexuals are going to be slaves to masters flying a rainbow flag. Other satires I've read, by frothing-at-the-mouth reactionaries who are living in a terrifying fantasy world they have built in their heads, have been compelling nightmares where we tear through the wall and peer into the writhing psyche of the racist and/or transphobe. This book is hilarious, sad in parts, and terrifying as it is so easy to see the truth in the humour. Sadly, this is exactly the kind of stuff that starts to peter out as the author brings his various plot points together into one narrative, and doubles-down on the police procedural.

He has written fifteen major bestsellers, including Stark , Popcorn , Inconceivable , Dead Famous , High Society , Two Brothers and Time and Time Again , three West End plays and three musicals, including global phenomenon We Will Rock You . It drops a heart in my rating for Rothfuss’ depiction of women – far too much objectification for my liking, even when he’s trying to avoid it. As Rothfuss is fond of a simile (or seventy billion), this is like fish and chips: it’s filling, it’s familiar, it’s something you have as a treat because you recognise it’s not very nutritious and, despite that, you enjoy it so much you keep going back for more. Sometimes it feels as though Elton wants us to get on board with identity politics and sometimes it feels as though he’s poking fun at it for quick laughs. There are a range of characters in this book, and some of them are clearly caricatures that are designed to be ridiculed and are clearly "taken too far" - such as the historian trying to prosecute sex offenders from history and the incel twitter troll who claims his "identity" is Wotan Orc Slayer and that's how he wants to be referred too.

I generally find Ben Elton's satire better than his plot (other than Two Brothers which is masterful). I suppose this isn't surprising given his history of stand-up - he sees the comedy in political life and mercilessly skewers it in this book, treading a fine line between respecting and laughing at political correctness. Just how do those posts from people we have never heard of, causes we have not registered an interest in arrive in our various online feeds? Even by his own standards, ‘Identity Crisis’ is a heavy hitter, with a random set of murders being its central theme.

There’s lots to love about the book: Kvothe’s adventures; Rothfuss’ depiction of the impact of sustained poverty on Kvothe’s daily and academic life; the juxtaposition of his precocious intellect and his naivety; his kindness to those less fortunate than him; his willingness to make amends alongside his desire for revenge; and the exploration of truth in comparison to myths and legends. The UK is a few years into its post-Brexit position and another referendum is on the horizon – this time England wants independence from the union. The posthumous prosecution of Samuel Pepys as a serial sex offender is the only exception – it was sufficiently far fetched to be in the same country as satire, if not in the same county or town.The police media liaison department are quick to make him issue an apology, and so the Pandora's Box titled "Political Correctness" is open for business. They rush to catch the killer, who’s knocking off people who were present in each seemingly separate story line. Yes, Mr Elton has extrapolated past and current events to an outlandish degree and it does all seem a little overblown and ridiculous. The other thing about this concept is that if Ben Elton thinks that the world he's presenting in this book is somehow very wild and improbably extended beyond what's possible - he doesn't spend enough time on the internet.

Conceived as a murder mystery/thriller, Elton's latest novel also lampoons the new tribalism, identity politics, left-wing self righteousness and right-wing prejudices, while terrifying the reader with the potential for social media to manipulate our lives and our very thoughts. But, they very quickly realise there’s no sexual tension… there’s no kissing, there’s no sex, there’s no betrayal… no one is ‘coupling’ and they’re all getting on perfectly fine. I'm going to say upfront that while I really enjoyed this book, I'm not sure the humour would be for everyone.Ben Elton sure has his finger on the pulse You'll laugh, you'll groan, you'll roll your eyes at the people and situations described here. It's the sort of book you'd like everyone to read - we all contribute to the stirring of the pot, we all judge quickly and follow trends blindly. There are people who want to get offended about everything and anything, people who leave no room for honest mistakes or who see evil in everyone - spaces where simply existing as a cis, straight white person is enough to have you villified even if you try your hardest to be respectful. I can understand people getting angry about gender bias, homophobia, racism and a myriad other things.