A review by bgg616
Where Are We Now? by Glenn Patterson
4.0
Glenn Patterson is an inveterate chronicler of Belfast, past and present. There are many hilarious moments in this novel, and many "inside" jokes that will engage those who know this city well.
Herbie has lost his wife to another man and divorce. Then he loses his job to persistent downsizing that reduces an office of dozens to two and then none. He has few friends, but those who've known him for most of his life stick by him.
My favorite parts of the novel were those that ridiculed and sometimes became furious at the new waves of tourism. Many of the "offenders" were American, and those episodes are the funniest. Since 2016, the last time I spent time in Belfast in the summer. If there were cruise ships off loading hundreds (maybe thousands) of foreign tourists at a time, I was lucky to miss them. I am not a fan of this form of travel. Not because of the latest fiascos with COVID-19, but because I have learned both first hand, and from reports, that they bring little income to the places they descend on, and create problems for the locals. I could go on, but I won't. There are three big attractions for tourists in Northern Ireland and Belfast : 1) the Titantic Museum, 2) Game of Thrones, and 3) Troubles Tourism. As a person who spent time in Northern Ireland, specifically Belfast, over five visits, I am very uncomfortable with this last diversion. There is one rant in the novel about Americans who pose in front of murals commemorating those years as if they were at Disney World.
A book not to be missed by fans of Patterson, and readers who love Belfast.
Herbie has lost his wife to another man and divorce. Then he loses his job to persistent downsizing that reduces an office of dozens to two and then none. He has few friends, but those who've known him for most of his life stick by him.
My favorite parts of the novel were those that ridiculed and sometimes became furious at the new waves of tourism. Many of the "offenders" were American, and those episodes are the funniest. Since 2016, the last time I spent time in Belfast in the summer. If there were cruise ships off loading hundreds (maybe thousands) of foreign tourists at a time, I was lucky to miss them. I am not a fan of this form of travel. Not because of the latest fiascos with COVID-19, but because I have learned both first hand, and from reports, that they bring little income to the places they descend on, and create problems for the locals. I could go on, but I won't. There are three big attractions for tourists in Northern Ireland and Belfast : 1) the Titantic Museum, 2) Game of Thrones, and 3) Troubles Tourism. As a person who spent time in Northern Ireland, specifically Belfast, over five visits, I am very uncomfortable with this last diversion. There is one rant in the novel about Americans who pose in front of murals commemorating those years as if they were at Disney World.
A book not to be missed by fans of Patterson, and readers who love Belfast.