Non-Fiction

You’re living on a small but strategically important island. It’s wartime. All around you is the enemy. Nearly every day for three years, hundreds of their planes relentlessly bomb you. For much of this time, all you have for defence are insufficient numbers of anti-aircraft guns and a few worn out fighter aircraft. Read more

Reading this nasty little tale, I’m reminded of Roman Polanski’s Repulsion, in which the female lead goes mad.

And don’t panic, dear publishers of Come Closer – when I say “nasty little tale”, I mean the tale told is nasty, not the manner in which it’s told. The manner in which it’s told is cool and minimal, and it’s all the more believable for that. Read more

“And as things fell apart
Nobody paid much attention.”
(Talking Heads quote, from the introduction to American Psycho) Read more

Does professional book collecting turns you cold? Fear not. John Baxter’s amusing, intelligent and witty prose will have you laughing and learning. Read more