The Isle of Dogs is a strange slippery novel that plunges deep into the sexual underbelly of #Britain. The Isle of Dogs explores sexual encounters between anonymous people in the shadows and margins of a surveillance-heavy society. #Sex #Sexuality #Novel #Book #BookReview #Review #DanielDavies #IsleofDogs
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Genre: Fiction, Adventure, Black Comedy, Thriller, Action.
Publisher: Fitzcarraldo Editions
Review in one word: Sexy
The Isle of Dogs is a strange slippery novel that plunges deep into the sexual underbelly of Britain. The book explores sexual encounters between anonymous people in the shadows and margins of a surveillance-heavy UK at the turn of the millennium. Told from the perspective of a man called Jeremy, an editor at a London men’s magazine, who becomes disillusioned with his superficial overblown lifestyle.
He seeks authenticity and so one day ups sticks and moves back to his parents home in a boring and seemingly lifeless town in the Midlands. There he takes a modest civil service job. To satisfy his sexual desires Jeremy immerses himself in the world of “dogging”—engaging in anonymous public sexual encounters in secluded car parks, coordinated through online forums. He adopts the alias “The Shep,” and becomes deeply involved in this subculture, finding a sense of purpose and community among fellow participants – themselves restless misfits who are bored with their lives.
There is a lot going on in this novel aside from the gratuitous, thrilling and gritty sex scenes. There’s a very human yearning for connection, both a romantic and friendship connection, the boredom and monotony of modern life and this unique and creative way to overcome that boredom.
There is an atmosphere and a vibe to this book – a sense of lean and lonely abandonment and longing, like listening to a bleak dubstep track. This is a vibe that England (in real life) has. There are a lot of backwater towns and places long forgotten and left behind in England compared to London. There is a real and compelling sense of electrifying anticipation, lustful longing and the real possibility of violence running through this book, making it a real adrenalin rush to read.
Shadowy, unusual subcultures have always fascinated me and this book didn’t disappoint it’s an intriguing, vividly rendered and well constructed novel.
Content Catnip 