Gimme Fame

How I Became A Famous Novelist (Steve Hely) -piss funny. Really, those two words sum the book up perfectly. But if it will take more than 2 words to convince you, here are a few more: It's about Pete Tarslaw, a character who hovers in the middle ground between Scallywag and Bum. He decides to write a popular novel (not a good one, because that would be too hard and he is all about minimum effort for maximum impact). .

Pete's project is a brilliant foil for Hely to mercilessly caricature the state of the book and publishing industry today, and his jokes are very, very close to the bone. The book is so funny that I had to read huge swathes of it aloud every time my laughing fits caught Tallboy's attention. It made me happy to be a reader.

I sort of wish the ending had been a little more nihilistic; it was a bit of a cop out after the punchy, pacey body of the book but I am being picky. Overall, it deserves 98 out of 100 Laughter Snorts.