William Leith10 April 2012
Spring
by David Szalay
(Vintage, £7.99)
What a beautifully written novel - and what a seedy bunch of people! James is a broken-down entrepreneur, formerly a paper millionaire from the dotcom era; his friend, Freddy, is a boozy sponger.
They are like characters from a Patrick Hamilton novel, and Szalay is immensely talented. James and Freddy set up a scheme with a dodgy racing trainer; meanwhile, James's girlfriend is behaving oddly.
Szalay gets everything right: the atmosphere, the suspense, the inner lives of his characters. Absolutely superb.
