From Publishers Weekly
Frayn's wicked but unconvincing satire of the British Civil Service centers on the unscrupulous, womanizing director of an agency that publicizes embarrassing stories about the British government.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In his seventh novel, Frayn tilts at the windmills of the British civil service and the dissident pressure groups that it spawns. His protagonist Terry confides, "I haven't got many qualifications for running a political campaign. I'm an ignorant bastard." What Terry can do is ask embarrassing questions, often staging public hijinks to entice media coverage and, to vary the pace, indulging in sexual escapades (giving the lie to his 61 years). Terry's office explodes when Hilary, a civil servant, hands over the document he's been seeking--and herself as well. Disillusioned, she chucks her career and joins The Campaign, creating havoc in the already chaotic office. Although Frayn uses an odd first-person style to narrate the tale, each character thinks and speaks so distinctively that keeping track is scarcely a problem. Unlike his Landing on the Sun ( LJ 1/92), which also pilloried the civil service but was hauntingly sad, this is a macho romp that any anglophile will enjoy as much for its wit as for its rueful portrayal of the servants of Her Majesty. For all readers who enjoy robust farce.
- Barbara Conaty, Library of CongressCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
