Interesting Novel - 'the Brandy Of The Damned'

[jonnyb]

Hi, just finished reading a novel which some of you might enjoy. It's a quick read and fairly cheap on kindle.

 

The book is 'The Brandy of the Damned' by JMR Higgs - the title comes from a Bertrand Russell quote 'music is the brandy of the damned.'

 

The plot sees three members of a long defunct rock band take a trip around the coast of Britain in their old van. The book is quite surreal and not a lot happens, but the discussions between the three are high on philosophy and give much food for thought.

 

There were several incidents which stood out for me - one of which was when a character experiences a kind of 'judgement day', where he is the judge, allocating himself marks out of ten for every moment of his life. This is very thought provoking, as he assesses how he spent the time he has had on earth.

 

Another interesting theme running through the book is the occasional discovery of chapters from a 'future bible', which arrive washed up in blue bottles. I especially liked this passage from it, where we are advised that three is the ideal number of religions to follow -

 

'You can position yourself in the centre of three religions and in doing so drink of their wisdom without falling for their ######...Consider the man who is a Taoist, a Pagan and a Christian. Consider the woman who is a Buddhist, a Sikh and an Atheist. These people won't easily fall for your nonsense. These people will have a wide perspective. These people will be able to get on in life.

 

'These people are also unlikely to start wars, or proclaim certainties on street corners, or spit at people they don't know.

 

'They will also be easier to seat at weddings.'