What do you think?
Rate this book
Barnacle Brat
Losing your grip on reality is a real bummer.
Just ask Leon Blank. Not that he'd know.
Seems those losing their marbles are always the last to find out.
Until recently, Leon would have argued that a tendency to become
easily sidetracked on a regular basis wasn't that odd.
And what's so unusual about hearing a voice inside your head?
Doesn't everyone? Isn't that just thinking?
But his recent visions aren't so freely dismissed; especially the angry-
looking clown who's following him around with a baseball bat.
Time to act, Leon decides: perhaps keeping a log
will shed light on the mystery.
Then again, could 'seeing-things' just be sexual frustration?
It's been a while! If only he had a girlfriend to take his mind off stuff.
Prepare to enter the normally hidden world of delusions,
paranoia, and ... ahem ... 'unusual interests':
Voyeurism; Feederism; Shoes - that kind of thing.
'Thanks a lot, Adrian! This seriously messed with my head.'
- My sister
'Absurd, zany, funny, dark, outrageous, perverse, melon-twisting,
unpredictable. That enough? Nice one. Can I 'ave me fiver now, mate?'
- A homeless Manc
'It's like Christopher Moore and Robert Rankin had a love child,
raised it on LSD then made it write a novel.'
- Anonymous reviewer (No, really; we wouldn't make that up)
'What's your name? My name's Wayne. Do you like a book? I like a book.
If I wrote a book, I'd call it: Billy Liar meets Donnie Darko.'
- Some nutter on the tram
Just ask Leon Blank. Not that he'd know.
Seems those losing their marbles are always the last to find out.
Until recently, Leon would have argued that a tendency to become
easily sidetracked on a regular basis wasn't that odd.
And what's so unusual about hearing a voice inside your head?
Doesn't everyone? Isn't that just thinking?
But his recent visions aren't so freely dismissed; especially the angry-
looking clown who's following him around with a baseball bat.
Time to act, Leon decides: perhaps keeping a log
will shed light on the mystery.
Then again, could 'seeing-things' just be sexual frustration?
It's been a while! If only he had a girlfriend to take his mind off stuff.
Prepare to enter the normally hidden world of delusions,
paranoia, and ... ahem ... 'unusual interests':
Voyeurism; Feederism; Shoes - that kind of thing.
'Thanks a lot, Adrian! This seriously messed with my head.'
- My sister
'Absurd, zany, funny, dark, outrageous, perverse, melon-twisting,
unpredictable. That enough? Nice one. Can I 'ave me fiver now, mate?'
- A homeless Manc
'It's like Christopher Moore and Robert Rankin had a love child,
raised it on LSD then made it write a novel.'
- Anonymous reviewer (No, really; we wouldn't make that up)
'What's your name? My name's Wayne. Do you like a book? I like a book.
If I wrote a book, I'd call it: Billy Liar meets Donnie Darko.'
- Some nutter on the tram
- GenresDark Comedy
414 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
560 people want to read
About the author
Adrian Baldwin
42 books11 followersAdrian Baldwin is a Mancunian now living and working in Wales. Back in the Nineties, he wrote for various TV shows/personalities: Smith & Jones, Clive Anderson, Brian Conley, Paul McKenna, Hale & Pace, Rory Bremner (and a few others). Wooo, get him.
Since then, he has written three screenplays, one of which received generous financial backing from the Film Agency for Wales. Then along came the global recession to kick the UK Film industry in the nuts. What a bummer!
Not to be outdone, he turned to novel writing - which had always been his real dream - and, in particular, a genre he feels is often overlooked; a genre he has always been a fan of: Dark Comedy (sometimes referred to as Horror's weird cousin).
BARNACLE BRAT (a dark comedy for grown-ups), his first novel. won INDIE NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2016 (Readers' Choice) at Underground Book Reviews. His second novel STANLEY McCLOUD MUST DIE! (more dark comedy for grown-ups) published in 2016, and he's currently writing his third book: THE SNOWMAN AND THE SCARECROW (another dark comedy for grown-ups).
An as yet untitled novel (about Sex and Crime) is earmarked as his fourth. It will, apparently, be an orgy of filth, depravity and wrongdoings, filled with weird and wonderful characters (criminals and perverts, most likely!) smothered in copious amounts of distasteful black humour. If that's the kind of thing that appeals to you, you sicko, you're probably just the type of reader he's looking for.
For more information on the award-winning author, check out: adrianbaldwin.info (*There you can read several early chapters of both Barnacle Brat and Stanley McCloud Must Die!)
Since then, he has written three screenplays, one of which received generous financial backing from the Film Agency for Wales. Then along came the global recession to kick the UK Film industry in the nuts. What a bummer!
Not to be outdone, he turned to novel writing - which had always been his real dream - and, in particular, a genre he feels is often overlooked; a genre he has always been a fan of: Dark Comedy (sometimes referred to as Horror's weird cousin).
BARNACLE BRAT (a dark comedy for grown-ups), his first novel. won INDIE NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2016 (Readers' Choice) at Underground Book Reviews. His second novel STANLEY McCLOUD MUST DIE! (more dark comedy for grown-ups) published in 2016, and he's currently writing his third book: THE SNOWMAN AND THE SCARECROW (another dark comedy for grown-ups).
An as yet untitled novel (about Sex and Crime) is earmarked as his fourth. It will, apparently, be an orgy of filth, depravity and wrongdoings, filled with weird and wonderful characters (criminals and perverts, most likely!) smothered in copious amounts of distasteful black humour. If that's the kind of thing that appeals to you, you sicko, you're probably just the type of reader he's looking for.
For more information on the award-winning author, check out: adrianbaldwin.info (*There you can read several early chapters of both Barnacle Brat and Stanley McCloud Must Die!)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 21, 2014
A page turner from cover to cover , I enjoyed this novel immensely. Intriguing , hilarious and at times heart wrenching, this was a book I simply couldn't put down. Amazing writing and a great story idea. Will be looking forward to more from this author.
March 15, 2015
I felt a range of emotions reading this book..it is a very funny read, with dark adult humour but also very tender and emotional throughout. I don`t know how the author got his ideas but I like them! This will stay with me for a long time and I highly recommend it.
February 22, 2015
I feel like there should be a disclaimer here because this book was sent to me, but it wasn’t for review purposes – it was a gift, a Secret Santa present from the author himself. Not so secret, then.
Still, I’m far from ungrateful – it turned out to be a cracking read, a well-written book from a guy who’s got a history of writing for the screen. Barnacle Brat is Baldwin’s first novel, a “dark comedy for grown-ups” with a seriously interesting story-line and more twists than you can shake a stick at.
I won’t go into too much detail when it comes to the plot, but I will tell you that it follows a young man called Leon who sees a lot of weird stuff that no-one else can see, including an angry clown with a baseball bat who seems to be out to get him. His visions get more and more disturbing, and along the way you’re treated to a rollercoaster ride through his bizarre but endearing psyche.
Leon’s on a mission to move away from Manchester to Wales to settle down and get some writing done, a mission which I suspect the writer bases on reality – Baldwin made the same journey himself, and here he really is writing about what he knows, although he claims that he never had an imaginary friend.
Personally, I thought that the book was a real barnstormer, something you could read again and again, discovering extra layers to the story every time – I think that, in part, that’s because there are so many twists that your perspective on Leon changes over time, and you’re almost a different reader at the end of the book than you were at the start. It’s pretty rare for an author to achieve that.
Overall, this is a cracker of a novel, an impressive debut by a man who clearly knows his way around a story – it’s recommended reading for pretty much anyone, but especially for people who like the weird and surreal or for people with a great sense of humour. If you’re afraid of clowns, though, then I suggest you try something else – apart from the fact that Pogo the clown sounds absolutely terrifying, there’s also a massive picture of him on the cover. You wouldn’t want to have nightmares now, would you?
Still, I’m far from ungrateful – it turned out to be a cracking read, a well-written book from a guy who’s got a history of writing for the screen. Barnacle Brat is Baldwin’s first novel, a “dark comedy for grown-ups” with a seriously interesting story-line and more twists than you can shake a stick at.
I won’t go into too much detail when it comes to the plot, but I will tell you that it follows a young man called Leon who sees a lot of weird stuff that no-one else can see, including an angry clown with a baseball bat who seems to be out to get him. His visions get more and more disturbing, and along the way you’re treated to a rollercoaster ride through his bizarre but endearing psyche.
Leon’s on a mission to move away from Manchester to Wales to settle down and get some writing done, a mission which I suspect the writer bases on reality – Baldwin made the same journey himself, and here he really is writing about what he knows, although he claims that he never had an imaginary friend.
Personally, I thought that the book was a real barnstormer, something you could read again and again, discovering extra layers to the story every time – I think that, in part, that’s because there are so many twists that your perspective on Leon changes over time, and you’re almost a different reader at the end of the book than you were at the start. It’s pretty rare for an author to achieve that.
Overall, this is a cracker of a novel, an impressive debut by a man who clearly knows his way around a story – it’s recommended reading for pretty much anyone, but especially for people who like the weird and surreal or for people with a great sense of humour. If you’re afraid of clowns, though, then I suggest you try something else – apart from the fact that Pogo the clown sounds absolutely terrifying, there’s also a massive picture of him on the cover. You wouldn’t want to have nightmares now, would you?
May 29, 2014
Great book! Kept a couple notes on my updates, but my full review/discussion is posted on BBB -
http://beckisbookblog.wordpress.com/2...
http://beckisbookblog.wordpress.com/2...
June 7, 2015
I didn't like this much. I gave it a good try but it's a bit too self-consciously bizarre for me & I don't enjoy 'zany'.
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1...
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1...
July 10, 2016
Sorry to those who loved this book. I just had to push myself to finish it. it was my book clubs choice. Didn't like The style of writing and it was a bit too all over the place for my taste
June 12, 2018
I know I have a weird sense of humour, and this book had me chuckling and laughing (and between you and me, I'll even admit to a snort or two). There's more to the story than the humour though, there's a serious and sometimes quite somber side too. I ran through a whole range of emotions from sad to happy, and from frustrated to optimistic.
We meet Leon Blank at the start of the book, hanging upside down in a crashed car, talking to a dummy (he prefers the word 'mannequin').
From there on Leon's life becomes wilder, weirder and more threatening. Although it's easy to see that all is not well in Leon's head, it's hard to tell where reality stops and delusions start, what actually exists and what's just a figment of Leon's mind.
This was an intriguing and captivating, surreal story with plenty of twists and a satisfying ending.
Warning: If you have a fear of clowns, don't read this book!!
We meet Leon Blank at the start of the book, hanging upside down in a crashed car, talking to a dummy (he prefers the word 'mannequin').
From there on Leon's life becomes wilder, weirder and more threatening. Although it's easy to see that all is not well in Leon's head, it's hard to tell where reality stops and delusions start, what actually exists and what's just a figment of Leon's mind.
This was an intriguing and captivating, surreal story with plenty of twists and a satisfying ending.
Warning: If you have a fear of clowns, don't read this book!!
December 21, 2021
An interesting narrative style - lots of parentheses, breaking the fourth wall and sarcasm.
Details a comedic psychotic mental health spiral. The idea of the psychosis getting darker and harder and the lead character's insight reducing works well
I enjoyed it, and laughed out loud a few times. Pretty intense and vulgar at point, as a warning. The chaotic mental health spiral worked, although it also made it a little bit of a slog to read at the most bizzare points.
Shout out for the love for rural Welsh camping too!
Details a comedic psychotic mental health spiral. The idea of the psychosis getting darker and harder and the lead character's insight reducing works well
I enjoyed it, and laughed out loud a few times. Pretty intense and vulgar at point, as a warning. The chaotic mental health spiral worked, although it also made it a little bit of a slog to read at the most bizzare points.
Shout out for the love for rural Welsh camping too!
July 24, 2017
Not my usual kind of book but it had me hooked from the beginning. I'm looking forward to reading more from Adrian Baldwin in the future. Anything with a Mrs Doyle reference has got to be a winner.
March 8, 2015
TOP PICK! From Underground Book Reviews
"Barnacle Brat" opens upside down in a VW-Bug that has flipped in an accident. The driver and protagonist, Leon Blank, is discussing the situation with his parents (hanging by their seatbelts in the back) and a ventriloquist dummy, Lord Archibald (he prefers "mannequin") in the seat next to him.
From that point on, the reader follows Leon deeper down the rabbit hole into the wonderland his world devolves into as he deals with (or doesn't) the aftermath of that accident, complete with a hodge-podge of crazy characters, some real and some imagined. Long after it becomes clear that all is not quite right in Leon's world or his head, Baldwin does a superb job of keeping the reader guessing where the delusions end and the real world begins.
...read more at UndergroundBookReviews9dot)com!
"Barnacle Brat" opens upside down in a VW-Bug that has flipped in an accident. The driver and protagonist, Leon Blank, is discussing the situation with his parents (hanging by their seatbelts in the back) and a ventriloquist dummy, Lord Archibald (he prefers "mannequin") in the seat next to him.
From that point on, the reader follows Leon deeper down the rabbit hole into the wonderland his world devolves into as he deals with (or doesn't) the aftermath of that accident, complete with a hodge-podge of crazy characters, some real and some imagined. Long after it becomes clear that all is not quite right in Leon's world or his head, Baldwin does a superb job of keeping the reader guessing where the delusions end and the real world begins.
...read more at UndergroundBookReviews9dot)com!
January 25, 2016
Absolutely Amazing!
Truly inspiring and captivating, especially for his first novel. I foresee many more great stories to come from this author. I absolutely loved the dark comedy aspect of the story, and the characters are well in-tuned with each other. Entering Leon's mind is a dramatic force, and a unique perspective on paranoia and the reactions. I loved the premise of the story and how the plot just played tricks with my perception! A great read, and well written. Makes you laugh out loud! Bravo!
Truly inspiring and captivating, especially for his first novel. I foresee many more great stories to come from this author. I absolutely loved the dark comedy aspect of the story, and the characters are well in-tuned with each other. Entering Leon's mind is a dramatic force, and a unique perspective on paranoia and the reactions. I loved the premise of the story and how the plot just played tricks with my perception! A great read, and well written. Makes you laugh out loud! Bravo!
May 24, 2017
I really wanted to like this book but the prose was full of overworked words that just felt tired after awhile. I honestly dumped out of the book which I seldom do but life is short and there are many on the TBR list. Perhaps there will be a time to revisit. Just couldn't plow through.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews