Books like Disturbia

The one thing that has always characterised Christopher Fowler’s writing and made him stand out from many other fiction writers is his great knowledge of and love for the city in which he plies his trade. In Fowler’s case, this is London. Much as Stephen King’s novels frequently return him to the state of Maine, Fowler is often drawn towards London.However, whereas King tends to create his own towns and cities, and take occasional geographical liberties with the real towns he does use, Fowler embraces London in its’ entirety, past and present. Whether above ground (as in the novel “Roofworld”) or underground (the short story “Crocodile Lady” from the collection “The Devil In Me”), Fowler’s knowledge of both the geography and history of the city and his willingness to share it is obvious. He either researches in great detail or his accumulated knowledge is immense.However, the streets belong to Fowler. This is the viewpoint from where people traditionally view the city’s landmarks, many without knowing the tiny details that make them more than the monuments they are. Do you know what is special about the lamps at the corners of Trafalgar Square, or that there is officially no such place as Westminster Abbey? No, neither did I until I read this book for the first time. Not knowing does not reduce your enjoyment of either landmark, but the details add to the joy of being there.“Disturbia” is more than a mere novel. It’s a history lesson, a mind opener, a collection of tiny details. Sadly, Fowler’s knowledge of writing isn’t quite as wide as his knowledge of London. However, his knowledge of how to tell a good story is pretty impressive, and his imagination isn’t far behind. You’ll never find this novel on an English syllabus, but you should find it or more people’s bookshelves than you do.Forget that you’re not going to be reading a classic, or even something exquisitely written. Read for the story, not for the writing. Sit down, and let Fowler take your hand and lead you through the streets of London. It’s a decent story, it’s a swiftly moving novel, and it’s a guided tour of London like you won’t experience anywhere else.Vince Reynolds is a twenty-five year old writer who is trying to get himself published for the first time in the hope that he can give up the day job and write for a living. He has written a number of articles for magazines, but has just gained a commission to write part of an anthology on London. What Vince is trying to do is to is write a piece on the class divisions in London society, but it occurs to him early on that, having lived as and among the working-class all his life, he knows nothing of the upper classes. He selects Sebastian Wells from an edition of “Tatler”, as his photo is the only one with a caption that suggests all is not perfect with the upper classes. Sebastian has previously been seen in the opening chapter, kicking someone to death. Clearly a nice chap!Vince and Sebastian meet several times, with each learning from the other. Sebastian knows very little about popular culture, and is often bemused by it. Vince knows nothing of the upper classes, but needs to know to give his book the proper perspective. Sebastian is bewildered that the working class can still exist, and Vince is in awe of Sebastian’s money, breeding and life of luxury. About the only thing that the two men seem to have in common is their knowledge of London�s history and the minutiae of the city which makes it so interesting. Reading the conversations between the two men make London come alive in the detail in the way I mentioned above.We also make the brief acquaintance of two of Vince’s friends, Pam and Louie, who warn him against becoming too close to Sebastian Wells. Correctly, as it turns out, after further research. Vince soon discovers that Sebastian does not just play games like chess, but has played with people’s lives. The deeper Vince digs, the more he finds about Sebastian that disgusts him. Such as his leadership of a Nazi-esque group and his way of opposing people who disagree with the group and their views. Violently, usually. Vince also finds that the last journalist who dug too deeply into Sebastian’s affairs and published details about the group did not survive long after its’ publication.At this point, Vince decides that this is they way he would like his book to go, to unmask these details, but risks the wrath of Sebastian Wells by asking him about it. Vince gains more information, contacting Dr Harold Masters, one of the few people to publicly denounce the group and live to tell the tale. The relationship between Vince and Sebastian is ruined, however, by Vince sneaking into one of the group’s meetings to listen in. And by getting caught.What has come before was merely setting the scene. This is where the fun starts! Sebastian’s idea of revenge on Vince is to set him a challenge. Ten challenges, in fact, to be completed over a single night. Ten challenges designed to test Vince’s knowledge of the city to its’ limits. Vince has to follow a number of clues to places in London, with each place bringing a clue to the next. A bit like “Treasure Hunt”, only without a helicopter. Vince is not allowed to ask for anyone’s help, or Sebastian will have them killed. He cannot fail in his task, or Sebastian will have him killed. However, should he succeed, he will be allowed to publish his book and expose Sebastian and his secret group.What follows is a nightmare, night time tour of London. Vince is dragged around all over the city. He does “enlist” the help of a couple of people, who are mercilessly killed, or left to die. His friends Pam and Louie attempt to get involved. Pam is held captive by Sebastian’s group and Louie ends up with a crossbow through his leg. Vince’s only allies are Harold Masters and his mismatched group of friends on the other end of a telephone, including one character who readers of Fowler will recognise. Don’t worry, however, as not knowing him in no way take anything from the plot.They assist Vince in any way possible, whilst he runs for his life through London, trying to solve the clues and claim his prize. However, he finds that his life and that of his friends is more important than being able to publish the book.Does he win? Does he lose? Does either man play by the rules? Come on, you know I can’t tell you that! You need to find out for yourselves.All I will say is that, in fairly typical Fowler style, the ending is a bit of a let down. The evening builds to a climax, as you would expect, but the novel doesn’t end there. There is a bit of tying up, a bit of settling down, which isn’t really in keeping with the rest of the novel or, at least, the challenge. The pace drops, the excitement drops and, ultimately, you’re happy that it’s finished. The ending reminds me of an English assignment in the second year of Grammar School. Sadly, I can’t tell you why, as it would ruin the end, but if you’d read the book you’d know exactly what I meant.The story in itself is impressive. Throughout the novel, Fowler uses short chapters, to give the impression you’re moving on a lot quicker than you really are. This works quite effectively in the first part of the novel, which is really only scene setting, as it seems to pass that bit quicker, but acts as a tension builder during the challenge itself, which is the real meat of the novel.The characters are not particularly well drawn, either. Vince and Sebastian are the main two and everyone else is just incidental. The novel is set very much in the “now” and the past and future of the two main characters is barely considered, except in the background information Vince gives to Sebastian about his life, and what he digs up about Sebastian’s. You understand Sebastian’s motives for setting the challenge, but there is never a reason for Vince choosing to write either generally of specifically. The lesser characters appear when required, but what they do otherwise is considered irrelevant and treated as such. Not that your really have too much time to wonder about that once the challenge has begun.But, as I said at the start, this was never going to be a classic. As far as writing goes, this isn’t the best book Fowler has written, much less the best book you’ll ever read. However, the story is one that you want to stick with until the bitter end, especially if you’re a Londoner, to see where the clue takes him, to see what interesting piece of information that you didn’t know is going to come out of it and to see if he’ll survive.I think that the highest praise I can give this novel is the effect it has. Not as a book, or even as a story, but as a tour guide. When I first read the book, I wanted to follow the clues around London and trace Vince’s evening. Not overnight, of course, as it’s easier to travel around during the day. Every time I read it again, I still want to do that. Whenever I have a spare day, I want to take off into town with this novel and a Travelcard. Sadly, it’s likely to have a lesser effect on those who don’t know the city, but is still an enjoyable read nonetheless.One word of warning before I end. Even in London, Fowler’s city, his books can be tough to find. There will be maybe one or two in a lot of the major bookshops (although forget WHSmith, who don’t seem to care about books much any more, much less “horror”, but not always the same two in any two shops, and not necessarily the ones you’re looking for. I own quite a few Fowler novels, and it’s taken me a lot of time and miles to collect them all, and I still can’t find a couple of them. I recommend Amazon if you want to buy, and I would suggest that this isn’t a bad place to start.This review may also appear under my name at any or all of www.ciao.co.uk, www.thebookbag.co.uk, www.goodreads.com, www.amazon.co.uk and www.dooyoo.co.uk