I like to read novels about political themes. I don’t mean thrillers where shady government operatives try to kill whistleblowers and everyone is selfish and corrupt. I mean novels where the author explores why our society is how it is and the choices our leaders make.
But it’s hard to find novels that deal with contemporary political events. Most of the books like the ones I’m talking about are historical. That’s why I’ve been quite pleased to come across a number of books about Brexit. The UK’s referendum was in 2016 so maybe it’s almost historical by now, but it’s also true we are still in the Brexit political era.
I started with Lionel Shriver and **Should We Stay Or Should We Go**. This was a book about many things – marriage, mortality, etc. But Brexit was a big theme, providing an issue over which an elderly couple disagreed, and also symbolising their powerlessness. The political turmoil of the time is the backdrop to a personal story.
Rick Berry’s **Kill All The Dogs** is more directly about Brexit politics, although ironically doesn’t mention it at all, like Shriver does. It’s set in contemporary political times with a Brexity government and policy agenda, and explores why the people involved do what they do, holding a mirror up to the system through the eyes of one traumatised political adviser. Jasper Fforde’s **The Constant Rabbit** is similar to Berry’s take on it but goes for the surreal rather than the full frontal critique. It also explores why the government does what it does, but this time talking rabbits stand as a metaphor for the EU, instead of sick dogs (this is a massive simplification but close enough). It also has Brexitism emerging from the English villages, which is interesting.
In these two satires, Brexit is something to be scared about but also laughed at. Jonathan Coe’s **Middle England** is doing something different, exploring the everyday lives of people in the tumult of this political era. A little like Franzen does but on a smaller scale – no offence meant, because Brexit is a small and petty thing and deserves a smaller scale. It’s not a book I expect to stay with me in detail, but was fascinating to delve into the slice of British life in this day and age.
I like that novelists are tackling the subject in different ways and integrating it into stories that are also about other things. That’s the best way to deal with political themes, I think.
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by forlornforbit