Corpsing - Softcover

Toby Litt was born in 1968. His first two books are a short story collection Adventures in Capitalism and a novel Beatnicks. His latest novel deadkidsongs was published in the UK in Spring 2001.

Lily Irish and Conrad Redman are the London cute couple of the moment: she is an aspiring actress who gains fame in a series of cereal advertisements, he a self-professed "promotions director" in TV. When Lily realizes that she has "it" and that her beau doesn't, she dumps him. Strangely, not long after the breakup, Lily invites Conrad to dinner at a trendy Soho restaurant. The meal is cut short by the appearance of a lone gunman, who pumps three slugs into each, killing Lily and seriously wounding Conrad. In the remaining pages, Conrad tenaciously (and tediously) tracks down answers to the questions "who?" and "why?" This self-consciously hip debut by British author Litt aspires to exude the style and wit of Bret Easton Ellis or Quentin Tarantino, but it fails to deliver. There is the promise of a film version, which may result in a stronger second edition. Until then, libraries can safely pass. Bob Lunn, Kansas City P.L., MO
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.