Subnormal by Stuart Kenyon – Book review.

The start of this book reminds me of a shoot-em-up computer game, so if you are interested in that kind of thing, this could attract you too, but it soon develops into so much more.

Stuart Kenyon’s Subnormal is set in Britain and across many cities, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham and London to name but four, and though you might think it is set in the near future, or an alternative past, it’s actually set in an alternative here-and-now where a new political party beginning with U fronted by a charismatic leader has seized power quite legitimately through the ballot box, so frustrated are the electorate with traditional parties who have overstayed their welcome. Sounds somewhat familiar in these strange times in which we live? And not a ’kipper in sight. Alternative facts, anyone?

One of the main characters, indeed the most interesting character, and there are a lot of them in here too, is a young guy with autism, and maybe that character comes across as forcefully and true to life because the writer himself has a son who suffers from that condition, and thus the descriptions of his behaviour and reactions and conversation are particularly believable.

As you can possibly guess all does not go well, and the book harbours Orwellian and Kafka-esque overtones, or undertones if you prefer. I could say a lot more, and all of it good, though I won’t for fear of giving anything away. For me it was a political thriller, and a pretty good one at that.

It’s been well proofread and when I bought the ebook it was just 99p and that is great value in anyone’s language, so do yourself a favour and buy it. Subnormal is the first in a series of three books, though this one has a clear ending, and stands well by itself.

If you enjoy political thrillers with a distinctly darker edge then this could be right up you street. Recommended.