Diary of a Somebody

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uk will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing. It’s January 1st and Brian Bilston is convinced that this year, his New Year’s resolution will change his life. Bilston is a magician with words, but he’s no storyteller; the plot is on the level of a sitcom, as are its characters.

Part tender love story, part murder mystery, part coruscating description of a wasted life, and interspersed with some of the funniest poems about the mundane and the profound, Diary of a Somebody is a unique, original and hilarious novel. You probably get the picture that Brian makes a few mistakes during the course of the book, but it's impossible to do anything but like him. Bilston’s book of poems, on the other hand, allows the reader to dip in at will; like Brian’s beloved custard creams, they are best consumed in twos or threes, rather than upending the whole packet at once. I've never read poetry before, but this book has a story with a little poetry thrown in, that will make you laugh and make you cry.He finds it difficult in his depressed state to engage with his teenage son Dylan who visits once a week. But there is an obstacle in the form of Toby Salt, his arch nemesis at Poetry Club and rival suitor to Liz, Brian’s new poetic inspiration. As we teeter on the brink of a post-Brexit apocalypse, Diary of a Somebody, is a welcome distraction. The 2 stars are for the poems which were great although I'd read quite a few of them on Twitter already.

topical, witty, thoughtful * Irish Times * The pseudonymous Brian Bilston turns the base metal of comic verse into gold . Liberally sprinkled with custard creams, Wittgenstein and book clubs, it is a wonderful, beautiful book. When you are in the slightly desperate state of needing a book which is going to make you laugh out loud on every page, the chances of picking one up are obviously vanishingly small. The plot is familiar - washed-up middle-aged guy is out of step with family, work and the wider world, but finds companionship and finally redemption through poetry and books.I have long envied artists who draw and sketch each day; who are able to transform ordinary visual experience into art – I imagine it to be a joy. But there is an obstacle in the form of Toby Salt, his arch nemesis at Poetry Club and rival suitor to Liz, Brian's new poetic inspiration.