THE HOPELESS LIFE OF CHARLIE SUMMERS
Paul Torday
Weidenfeld & Nicolson NZ$38.99

Reviewed by The Bookman on Radio NZ National this morning with Kathryn Ryan.


At the age of 59 Paul Torday burst on to the literary scene with his first book, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. That was back in 2006 and now four years later we have his fourth novel, The Hopeless Life of Charlie Summers. His other titles are The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce and The Girl on the Landing. All have been critically acclaimed and lucky me I have had the privilege of reviewing all four titles on Radio New Zealand National.

I suppose it is fair to say that Charlie Summers is hopeless. Charlie Summers is certainly a rascal, a minor con man, he’s a “middle aged drifter who left a trail of debts and damaged hopes wherever he went”; to quote Charlie himself – “Money doesn’t grow on trees does it? I mean, I’ll pay everybody every shilling I owe as soon as things look up a bit”. Yeah, right!

Interestingly enough though Charlie is not the protagonist in this sometimes funny, sometimes serious, occasionally dark but always entertaining novel. The protagonist, and storyteller for most of the book is Hector Chetwode-Talbot, Eck to his friends, it is the early part of the 21st century, and he has just left the army. From a somewhat privileged background he drifts in to the City where he meets a former school friend who now runs a hedge fund. Eck is soon employed playing the role of taking rich clients out to dinner, or fishing or golfing, and telling them of the fortune to be made by investing in the firms funds. This of course is the time that the world seemed awash with money so his commissions were soon earning him a great deal of money.

The book has several strands – all involving Eck and his relationship with different characters – one is Charlie Summers whom he meets while he is on holiday with his wealthy friend Henry Newark. His relationship with Henry provides another strand as does his relationship with his widowed cousin Harriet whom he courts with a view to marriage. And finally there is his relationship with Bilbo Mountwilliam the CEO of the investment fund who employs Eck. Early on the readers senses that this man is a somewhat shifty character.

As the City totters towards recession and banks show concerning signs of fatigue and then collapse Eck is set up by his boss as a liason with a rather sinister Afghani, Mr.Aseeb which brings him to the attention of the secret service, he gets into all sorts of strife and shortly thereafter he is fired.

Amongst all this action in the City Charlie Summers comes and goes in his hopeless way creating chaos and debt, and Eck continues to pursue Harriet who lives in France. Paul Torday is especially adept at portraying middle-aged men who are slightly hopeless and who cannot seem to grasp the happiness that is there but seemingly always just out of reach.

I liked this book, I especially liked Eck and Charlie Summers, cleverly drawn characters who show Torday at his very best, both of them in many ways were just drifting through life and without giving too much of the story away they both influenced each other for the best and in the end the rather sad Charlie Summers turns out to be not so hopeless after all, heroic even.

I am sure Torday must have built up quite a readership by now for his elegant, entertaining and skilfully written novels and I reckon those that enjoyed his earlier books will like this one too.
I certainly did. A book for our times.