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| "The Liar" by Stephen Fry | | Date Created: Mar 24, 2005, 09:39 AM |
Stephen Fry is best known for his acting in movies such as Wilde (as the title character), Gosford Park, and Bright Young Things (which he also directed, wrote and produced.)
However, Fry is an unusual actor in that, apparently, he can write as well. And I don't just mean he can write his name, or a large X on a line somewhere. He can write stories. Some time ago I read his book, Revenge which was a complicated story of a boy who had it all, but then is abducted and held in an insane asylum for years.
I just finished his book The Liar which was also quite good. Imagine an Oscar Wilde-esque character as a boy in a British Prep school. Imagine then that he gets involved in a complicated plot of international intrigue. That's basically the plot of The Liar.
I have to admit, I didn't understand several key elements of this book, which was obviously written for a British audience. For example, there is a whole scene which plays out during a cricket match. I think Americans (or at least the dull-witted ones like me) are genetically unable to understand cricket. The scene may as well have been written in another language. I could pick up words or phrases here and there, but for the most part it was all lost on me. As are the details of life in a British Prep school. I simply don't understand the organizational structure, and it isn't ever explained.
In spite of my stupid Americanishness though, I still enjoyed the story, the surprising twists and turns of the plot, and the witty Wildean reparte. I give it two cricket bats up! |
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