Time for Bed

by David Baddiel

Gabriel Jacoby can't get to sleep. In fact, he can't get anywhere at all, either in his Triumph Dolomite or his life. Everything around him, from his large collection of coffee-machines to his balding Bradford-born flatmate, is breaking down. Not that Gabriel is bothered; he's too busy being in love with his intensely happily married brother's wife. Which is why Gabriel chooses to waste all his time - because he knows that whatever else he might achieve, it won't be happiness. There's no way there, when you're in love with your brother's wife. Unless you remember your brother's wife has a sister...

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Comedy, Modern, Contemporary

346 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 1996

About the author

David Lionel Baddiel is an English comedian, novelist and television presenter. Baddiel was born in New York, and moved to England when he was four months old. He grew up in grew up in Dollis Hill, Willesden, North London.

After studying at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Elstree, he read English at King's College, Cambridge and graduated with a double first. He began studies for a PhD in English at University College London, but did not complete it.

Baddiel became a cabaret stand-up comedian after leaving university and also wrote sketches and jokes for various radio series. His first television appearance came in a bit-part on one episode of the showbiz satire, Filthy, Rich and Catflap. In 1988, he was introduced to Rob Newman, a comic impressionist, and the two became a writing partnership. They were subsequently paired up with the partnership of Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis for a new topical comedy show for BBC Radio 1 called The Mary Whitehouse Experience, and its success led to a transfer to television, shooting Baddiel to fame.

He has written four novels: Time for Bed, Whatever Love Means, The Secret Purposes and The Death of Eli Gold.

Baddiel has two children, both born in Westminster, London, with his girlfriend, Morwenna Banks.

Reviews

[Jonathan Dennis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I refuse to believe any professional editor read this before I was published.

[Sisterray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this a long time ago. A bit funny but unfulfilling

[Lesia Joukova · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing I liked about this book is the degree of honesty in it. It was very refreshing to me. I enjoyed that "Time for Bed" was dark and full of black humor and real life.
I enjoyed that it was in no way a love story, not a typical relationship between the main heroes. I enjoyed the easy narration of the main hero, his dark thoughts and jokes and I think that this book is definitely a fine debut!
It leaves off with an uncertain ending and I liked the simplicity of it, it's just like getting a glimpse into someone's life before the curtains closed and you are left guessing "what if".

[Nick Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very amusing indeed - enough of the lightness of a chick-lit equivalent, but with wit and humour on top (and plenty that most men will see themselves in!). I was a little worried that I wouldn't 'get' some of the London-centric or Jewish-related stuff, but it's so well-written that any bloke would find enough in this to like.

[Peter Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

London Jewish insomniac is in love with his brother's beautiful wife and starts going out with her sister. I found it rather predictable, slow to get through and not that funny. There were some amusing observations, but even these felt rather exaggerated.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story, this is laddish but well written though his obsession with anal sex gets wearing.

[Marooi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mja. Kan erger. Kan ook veel beter. Chick lit vanuit een gast beschreven die maar nergens echt sympathiek wil worden

[Leebs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! This is the second book of his that I've read and I really enjoy his writing style. Funny, honest and very real.

[Floriane Papillon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very funny at times, but sometimes crude. The plot itself is not particularly interesting.

[Elisa Vangelisti]

Dopo aver letto di scoregge devastanti, mosche mutanti e problemi vari d’insonnia, il tutto farcito con ironia maschile piuttosto a buon mercato, decido che fra David e me è tempo di divorzio.

[Ian Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly amusing. Though it should have won an award for bad sex scene.

[Krishna Srinivasan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. It was at times quite a boring read. A lot of the prose was very overwritten.

The characters - apart from the main one - detestable, undeveloped and just plain weird. Along with a trivial subject matter and poor humour, it wasn't really an enjoyable read. I really didn't like the main character.

Apart from some bits that flowed well, not a great work...

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite good. Brit humour.

[Jono Carney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny at times, but a bit obvious too. I think I prefer his other book. An OK read though, kept me amused for a while.

[Kristel]

Humour anglais + humour juif = excellent humour.

[Zzoeeeee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about a coffee loving jewish isomniac in love with his brother's wife. Comic and full of great descriptions

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really funny and a bit disgusting in parts! Read a few times.

[Kaylol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and extremely sad at the same time.

[A Barnes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t get past the first few pages. Just not my style of writing

[Ele Pärtel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Räägivad, et isane Bridget Jones. Võib-olla, aga oluliselt paljusõnalisem ja tüütum ja tõlkija on andnud ka oma korraliku panuse lugemiselamuse rikkumise suunas.

[Andrew Yong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original and very funny. At one time I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some genuine laugh-out-loud parts to this, but the characters felt a little stereotypical.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exactly the book you'ld expect the intellectual from Fantasy Football to write. It's good fun and pretty funny. An unexpected moment of empathy before the end.

[Giorgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Sai di cosa sei innamorato Gabriel?
Di un'occasione mancata.
UN'occasione perennemente mancata.
Tu sei capace di amare solo quel che avrebbe potuto essere"

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing book, generally well written, but the plot gets a bit generic towards the end. Probably 3.5 stars, as I did enjoy it, but it seemed a little flat at the end.

[Beth Gilmore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know what in the world possessed me to read a book by David baddiel, possibly morbid curiosity

[Tony Lawrence]

*Includes mild spoilers*. I still can’t remember if I have read this book before, but it seems appropriate to (re)read after 25 years (pub.1996) to complete Baddiel’s adult back-catalogue. This includes recent non-fiction books about his Jewishness and atheism, which I will come back to.

The anti-hero is Gabriel ‘Gabe’ Jacoby, a football-loving insomniac feckless man-boy. He has a deep unrequited love for his sister-in-law Alice, the perfect [in his eyes] wife of his more sensible brother Ben. The book starts with the offer of a writing job - a football column - from Ben, which conflicts Gabe as it involves spending more time around Alice. To add to the [Shakespearian] farce he starts to date the not-quite-Alice sister Dina. There is a rich supporting cast of characters, including flatmate Nick and his partner Fran, ‘mental’ Barry, a Hindenburg-obsessed mother, a sweary father, and a whole village (shtetl?!) of relatives. Other than mental health (not reviewed here), the 2 main themes are; the cause and cure for Gabe’s insomnia, and; the underlying pressures and conflicts of his Jewish culture, which are loosely linked. Gabe is at a crossroads, it is time to grow up, time to metaphorically ‘make his bed’? Is his Alice-obsession the cause of his insomnia, and is Dina the answer? What part does his separation from Judaism play in this need to settle down to his responsibilities, in a way that his older brother has embraced. I assume Gabe is - at least in part - autobiographical, as Baddiel has more recently written about his atheism and how he reconciles this with his Jewish identity. Despite it’s flaws (inc. the unrelenting grim bloke-iness) this has stood the test of time as a coming-of-age book, and a deeper exploration of male identity, and probably the wider challenges of community and coupling in the modern world.

[Larissa Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I knew nothing of the author, but as it was heavily promoted when it was published in the UK, I was curious. I read it in 1996 while I spent stint in London. I laughed out loud and loved it to pieces.

[Mitchan · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐
Very laddish book, has some humour but actually very little to do with insomnia. Gabriel is in love with his brother's wife and so embarks on a relationship with her sister. Turns out his brother is having an affair with his mentally ill flat mate.

[Daisy Steel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny