The Last Sane Man On Earth

by Nathan O'Hagan

Sequel to The World Is (Not) A Cold Dead Place, The Last Sane Man On Earth is an acerbically funny critique of post-Brexit Britain and the social media age, through the eyes of one of modern fiction’s great outsiders.

Two years on from the life-changing events of The World Is (Not) A Cold Dead Place, misanthropic anti-hero Gary Lennon is back.

With a girlfriend, a new therapist and a slightly less unfulfilling job, Gary is trying to get his act together. But, in these troubling times, just how long can Gary keep a lid on his simmering frustrations? And will speaking his mind now be enough, especially when an anarchic old friend comes crashing back into his life...

“Nathan O’Hagan can do grotesque comedy and bitter-sweet realism. By combining the two, he creates a world we recognise and care about.” Russ Litten, author of Scream If You Want To Go Faster and We Know What We Are

“Like a punctured can of beer, this great novel seethes as it slowly releases its pressure. Like Irvine Welsh or Chuck Palahniuk, O'Hagan is fearless, unflinching and never afraid to go too far if his acutely observed characters demand it. The result is a satirical, poignant and hilarious modern classic for our wounded times.' Mark Connors, author of Stickleback

Reactions to The World Is (Not) A Cold Dead Place:

“Funny, dark, shitty, moving. Reminded me of loads of great books and films.”
James Brown author of Above Head Height, editor of Loaded, GQ, Four Four Two

“A scathing, suspicious yet accurate account of modern society as seen through the main character’s eyes – a character who in the same turn is endearing – and it is incredibly funny in places. If you like your humour on the darker side and you find yourself rooting for the underdog, introduce yourself to Gary Lennon.” Blooming Brilliant Books

“An intelligent read and reminded me of both Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho and Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project and The Rose Effect. I am definitely hoping for a sequel as I want to see and hear more of Gary and how things are going to work out.” Clare Coombes, author of Definitions, We Are Dust

272 pages, Paperback

First published May 22, 2020

Reviews

[Thomas Goddard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequel to the recently reviewed ‘The Earth Is (Not) A Cold Dead Place’. What I liked about the first book is the fact that we’re not asked to like the character, but we aren’t abused for sympathizing with him. I always hate it when an author creates a character that is cruel or angry or unpleasant in some way and decides for the reader that we have to hate them. Or ends the novel with them becoming good or else being punished for their evils.

See, Gary is a broken man. Damaged without a single cause to blame it on. Because it’s probably the fault of a lot of things. Society, family, biology, neurology. He’s realistically damaged. Because, if we’re honest, we could all certainly benefit from therapy but it is unlikely to fix anything. So the character is damaged the way we all are. It isn’t prescriptive, he’s just a guy trying to get by and rolling things around in his head. At the mercy of emotions he can’t always control. Things happen to him and he makes do.

I’ve recommended O’Hagan’s books to a lot of people already. If I’m honest I’m still not 100% sure why I enjoyed them so much. I get, from the last review, that I liked having a really interesting male protagonist to read... but I think there is something else and I haven’t quite worked it out yet. The writing is funny, sharp and the author seems engaged in the world and its problems. There’s no real solution presented... but there is a little kick-back against the cosmic injustice the character lives with. That’s satisfying to experience.

If the last book left me with a sense that we have to come to terms with our unpleasant aspects in order to become an authentic self and thereby heal (to some degree) - then this book left me with a little less than that.

I’m going to rate this one as a four star as well, because it was an enjoyable read. However, I think I preferred the ending on the first. This one, not to spoil it, didn’t wrap up in the same charged and confident way, it seemed to be a little less final and less was altered by what had transpired.

I spent a lot of time today researching to see if another book was on the way. I hope one is, but I couldn’t find anything. I’ll just keep checking.

[Miss Dizzy Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stark raving brilliant madness! Buckle!!!! 😀