Review: King of the Badgers by Philip Hensher

King of the Badgers by Philip Hensher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I think this is my favourite of Philip Hensher's books so far! No idea what the title refers to, but I just loved his depiction of the good townsfolk of Hanmouth, Devon as he delves into the seemingly quiet and conventional neighbourhood to unearth double lives, bizarre hobbies, gay orgies, disturbed and quite frankly disturbing individuals, and personal tragedies.

Given that this story features child abduction and two deaths, it may seem inappropriate to describe the narrative as 'hilarious', but it's laugh-out-loud funny in many places as the misunderstandings and embarrassing faux-pas pile up; and such is Hensher's genius that the the downright awfulness of what happens to some of the characters is actually highlighted by the muted and mundane language in which the incidents are cloaked.

One could honestly say that 'all human life is here', depicted in both loving and unflinching detail: the greed-obsessed half-life of the local council estate mirrored by the greed-obsessed pretentiousness of the middle classes; the rage and turbulence of teenagers; the quiet despair of the unattractive singleton; the tender awkwardness of family relations; the loneliness of the bereaved; the perpetual outrage of the 'woke'; and the unsung acts of courage, sacrifice and even heroism that ordinary folk are called upon, in unexpected moments, to rise to.

A second five stars for this author from me!



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