No Laughing Matter by
Peter Guttridge
pbk out December 97
(Headline)
at £5.99
If you ever go on a writing course, there are two laws you'll immediately be told: don't write about things you know nothing about; and don't think about writing funny stuff. The first is a useful rule of thumb, it means that your work should be reasonably sensible and well laid out, as well as being credible, while the second is more a case of, "Look, there are some talented, funny guys out there who write brilliant jokes – don’t try to compete with them."
Every once in a while there's a clever laddie who thinks he knows better, though. Peter Guttridge is one.
Let's be fair, he has a bit of a head start. Guttridge used to report on comic venues as a journalist. He travelled from London to Edinburgh to Montreal to Los Angeles, meeting the world's leading funny men and women, interviewing them, watching their acts, and drinking with a variety of the world's press. For him, writing about someone who is constantly surrounded with rich and influential media types was clearly slightly easier than for you or me.
But then there's the funny side. Guttridge manages to write as if he's absorbed ten years' worth of one-liners, sharp retorts and silly situations. I picked up this book late one night and had finished it by nine the next morning - I couldn't put it down. Every time I tried to, another joke thumped me between the eyes and made me laugh out loud.
Several authors have tried to write gags into their novels, and usually it leads to a weak plot in a book which is carried by the jokes, or sometimes a brilliant plot is diluted by a strained attempt at humour. Guttridge has no such weakness. The plot is enough to make a crime writer jealous, with twists galore, while the humour pulls you along with it.
I have to recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humour. Just don't ask about the yoga. You have to read it to find out about that!
(
Michael Jecks
- author of the highly acclaimed Furnshill & Puttock series)
No Laughing Matter by
Peter Guttridge