FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 2000. All Rights Reserved

Books by Lachlan Mackintosh A SWEETHEART DEAL by Ben Richards Review, 339 pp. In A Sweetheart Deal, the fourth novel from British writer Ben Richards, London is the backdrop for a modern chronicle of trade unions and government complicity. The title also refers to the relationship that springs to life amidst the ashes of Lily Forrester’s despair. In the novel’s prologue, her husband survives a train accident only to die later in hospital when he is given the wrong blood. The privatized lab at the Great Northern Hospital was understaffed and unprepared for an after-hours catastrophe, but the overworked clinician is immediately sacked for her error in the transfusion, which is where regional trade union officer Melanie Holloway comes in. She is assigned the case of the fired clinician. After the first 10 pages, A Sweetheart Deal is entirely Mel’s story. Richards describes a London full of colour and clash, and gives Mel a Galician best friend, Pepa – the sort of fiery Spaniard who tells American ignoramuses where to go. Mel’s boyfriend is an aging former-rocker who never leaves his apartment and has a serious love/hate relationship with the TV. The major upheaval in the novel comes in the form of Forrester, for whom Mel feels an attraction that she’s either at a loss or chooses not to fully comprehend. Lily is bringing legal action against the hospital and railway, and her relationship with Mel parallels the contrary sides in the dispute. Richards manages all this well and keeps the novel compelling on its different levels. In the U.K., the press has compared Richards to Nick Hornby and Will Self. A Sweetheart Deal is a very funny book at times, but has a seriousness that Hornby eschews and a wit that differs from Self. Still, it’s good company for Richards and suggests that more readers may be coming his way – a good deal for all concerned.

| Back To This Issue Table of Contents | Back To Main Index |