ALLEY JAGGERS

by Paul West ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 25, 1966

A bizarre British proletarian satire, Alley Jaggers threatens to be a classic scamp novel like The Ginger Man until, about two-thirds of the way, the plot cops out and the hero goes bonkers...Alley Jaggers is six Walter Mittys and Billy Liars impacted into one Angle-Irish, Beatlemopped dreamer. Married three years to a subliminal butter-ball (who allows him her body only on Saturday night), Alley escapes into dream identities. His most consuming person is Alley the Oirishman, who speaks a phoney Irish dialect constantly, at work or at home. There's Alley of the motorbike being shot at by the enemy. Alley of the attic, where he builds a 22-foot monster glider-plane. By day Alley is a 25-year-old plasterer who beguiles his working hours by reciting the glorious names of racehorses and who proclaims: ""What I'd like to do is make a great big splash wi'out getting wet. I'd like to get shot without being wounded."" Secret karate practice has deadened the sides of his hands. Nights out, his pants are tight black tubes. One night he murders a girl pop-singer, cases her up as a plaster doll, and what was been a tour de force of roguish humor is flushed down the W.C. Nonetheless, the first half is not to be missed.

Pub Date: May 25, 1966

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1966

Categories: FICTION