The Lawnmower Celebrity

I discovered the existence of The P45 Diaries from the author on twitter ( @BenHatch ). From publicity there, I got the impression that this would be a light, silly tale of a teenager failing to hold down a job. And this is certainly true. However, there's also a lot more to the novel as we discover why our anti-hero, Jay Golden, is quite so flippant about his future.

The P45 Diaries jumps back and forth a year in time, Jay's diary entries gradually revealing his family's helplessness as they watch his mother dying from cancer. Having lost my own mother last year from lung cancer, these passages rang uncannily true. From initially being annoyed by Jay's puerile attitude, I began to understand him and also identified a little with my own escapism recently.

I liked Ben Hatch's direct writing style and he has a great turn of phrase. His portrayal of a family struggling to stay together and of the father's sheer frustration is great. I think the contrast between Jay's professional stupidity and psychological pain is what gives the novel its poignancy. I will definitely be downloading more of Hatch's books in the future.