Jack answers “Why do people like this book? I'm only up...”

Paul Donovan asked this question about Lucky Jim:

Why do people like this book? I'm only up to chapter 5, but the main character is a real prat. He is crude and self-obsessed. How are we supposed to empathise with his plight or hope he will succeed when he is so unlikeable?

Jack What I enjoy about the book is the way it captures the frustration of life's petty annoyances so well. As someone who through, essentially good luck, …moreWhat I enjoy about the book is the way it captures the frustration of life's petty annoyances so well. As someone who through, essentially good luck, enjoys a fairly straightforward, enjoyable life, I enjoy the absurdity of Jim Dixon's anger. Amis's prose style is also enjoyable in itself I think.(less)

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