Books › What a Carve Up!
What a Carve Up!
First published 1997 · 682 pages
A darkly comedic, dystopian farce that spirals from a lonely writer's obsession into a stormy, maniacal climax of family destruction.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like watching a storm gather over a decrepit stately home, blending the sharp bite of British satire with the escalating dread of a noir thriller. The narrative moves with a propulsive, manic energy, dragging the reader through a dystopian vision of societal blight and upper-class corruption. It is a deeply farcical yet claustrophobic experience, steeped in themes of obsession, identity, and the inescapable shadow of a powerful, corrupt family. The prose balances cynical humor with atmospheric tension, mirroring the protagonist's journey from pathetic loneliness to a reformed, albeit chaotic, sense of self. It will delight readers who crave darkly comedic family histories that spiral into violent, theatrical madness.
- Mood
- dystopian
- manic
- stormy
- claustrophobic
- Tone
- farcical
- satirical
- darkly comedic
- cynical
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- corrupt family legacies · obsession and identity · societal decay · class critique
- The writing
- Blends the sharp, cynical bite of a dystopian farce with the atmospheric tension of a classic noir thriller.
- The arc
- Moves from lonely, pathetic obsession through a growing realization of societal blight, culminating in a manic, confidence-reforming climax.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love biting British satire, dark family histories, and farcical descents into madness.
Content notes
- murder
- violence
- arms dealing
- factory farming
About the book
A brilliant noir farce, a dystopian vision of Britain, a family history and the story of an obsession. Michael is a lonely, rather pathetic writer, obsessed by the film, 'What A Carve Up!' in which a mad kinfeman cuts his way through the inhabitants of a decrepit stately pile as the thunder rages. Inexplicably he is commissioned to write the family history of the Winshaws, an upper class Yorkshire clan whose members have a finger in every establishment pie, from arms dealing to art dealing, from politics to banking to the popular press and factory farming. During his researches Michael realizes that the Winshaws have cast a blight on his life, as they have on Britain. His confidence, his sexual and personal identity begin to reform. In a climax set in the Winshaw's family seat the novel turns into the film, 'What A Carve Up!' as a murderous maniac stalks the family and Michael discovers the significance of Shirley Eaton's lingere.
Description from Open Library.
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