REVIEW: Middle England (Jonathan Coe)

Book: Middle England

Author: Jonathan Coe

My rating: 3.5/5

Premise: Britain is changing. Up and down the land, cracks are appearing within families and between generations. Benjamin is trying to help his aged father navigate a country that's forgotten he exists. Doug doesn't understand why his teenage daughter is eternally enraged. Meanwhile, Sophie and Ian can agree on nothing except the fact their marriage is on the rocks.

⚠️[CW: racism, anti-semitism, threats of violence against women]

This book follows ordinary people living in the Midlands, showing the change in attitudes and politics. It covers the years 2010-2018, aka my teenage years. There is a definite English-ness to this book and I'm pretty sure I've met all of the characters.

On the one hand, it was interesting to be reminded of what happened over those years. There were headlines I forgot. I also thought it was also good for me to revisit some of these events as an adult and actually understand them. For example, I was 13 at the time of the London riots and, living a sheltered life in the countryside, I didn't know any of the background to them.

However, this book was like a nightmare as I had to relive the country becoming more and more divided. The first few years, you can see some cracks that people gloss over. The Olympics was a high point that actually brought the country together. But then the cracks widen and tensions rise, building up to the EU referendum. For me, this book felt like a dystopia that was, sadly, reality. Credit to the author who did a cracking job of capturing Britain so perfectly.