Looking for a better book to read

I have always been an avid reader, ever since a young age. I’m not picky either – as long as I have something papery in my hands, I’m glad to read it. I’ll read – and enjoy – mostly anything.

I say mostly because try as I might, I just couldn’t enjoy Looking for Mrs Dextrose by Nick Griffiths. The book focuses on the adventures of Alexander/Pilsbury Dextrose as he attempts to track down his mother, drunkenly left behind by his father, Harrison Dextrose on one of his own adventures across the globe. On paper, it sounds like the basis for an exciting story. Why then can it not even raise a yawn from me?

Firstly, I found it quite dull. In the first hundred pages, nothing of any note happened. The prime chance to grab my interest – wasted. I am aware that even great books take time to build story and pace but I don’t think this is one of them. Writers like Tolkien take a great deal of time and pages describing the background, both of the world and the characters, and this helps to engage the reader. Instead, in this book, Alexander travels to a nearby forest village on an errand that is ultimately revealed to be completely pointless. The rest of the early part of the book is spent drinking in a bar.

That too is another problem. I get the feeling that this is supposed to be a funny book but I was left feeling rather underwhelmed. Either I’m missing the vast majority of the jokes or it simply isn’t that funny. A great deal of the “humour” revolves around the drunken character of Harrison Dextrose but being constantly drunk, asleep or unhygienic is hardly amusing, in this book at least.

His son, Alexander, is not much better. As protagonists go, he is more than a bit wet. He comes across as very reactive, very rarely acting on his own initiative. The first person narrative from him is a mix of social embarrassment, neurosis and cowardice, which is mildly entertaining and is the only thing that makes the book readable.

Plot and character are both pedestrian but there are moments when the style of writing shines through. Griffiths has a colourfully inventive way of describing things, if not always tasteful. I feel there is the potential for something better, which is unfortunately missed out on.

However, that creative style is a double-edged sword. The book is populated by a cast of colourful characters, each one with their own distinctive accents. While funny if heard aloud, transferred to great swathes of print makes them near unintelligible, obstructing the story at hand. Several times I had to stop and work out what a character was saying – never a good sign.

Looking for Mrs Dextrose is the second book in a trilogy. Based on what I’ve read, I don’t think I’ll bother with the first or last books. It is not a bad book. It does have its occasional redeeming features if you can summon the will to carry on with it. But I found it quite boring, far less than it promised. You can read it for yourself and see if you disagree with my harsh appraisal.

But I wouldn’t get your hopes up.