REVIEW OF SO DISTAINED by Nevil Shute. Published as THE MYSTERIOUS AVIATOR in the USA

I was an ardent Nevil Shute fan as a teenager. Still am. I plan to read all his books again. So Disdained is Nevil Shute’s second book, written in 1927 whilst he was working on the gigantic R100 Airship at Howden, Yorkshire. He was the airship’s mathematician/chief calculator, working during the day with the great engineer, Barnes Wallis. For relaxation, Shute started writing novels during the evenings. It paid off, with him later becoming the most popular author in the world for a time. It is interesting to observe his writing craft develop.

Reading this book reminds me of watching a very English 1940’s black and white film, and it seems structured that way. The characters are a bit thin and there is a series of improbable coincidences. But I suppose we should remind ourselves that coincidences are perfectly acceptable in art. Shute tends to depict the Fascisti as the good guys in Italy as they were fighting the Communists. Communism was stirring in Britain at the time and some mistakenly thought Fascism was the antidote, not realizing it was just another head of the same socialist, two-headed, rabid dog.

Shute portrays the overall decency of the English gentlemen of the 1920’s era with their sense of fair play. An enjoyable, easy read.