Sometimes there's a book, that at the very the moment you finish it, you know exactly what you have to do, it's simple: put the sandwich board on and walk around town, imploring people to get their paws on that book, pretty damn quickly.

I had one of those "moments" recently after finishing "Christopher" by Allison Burnett. I'll let my words below do the work.

Today's fiction offers such a lean diet; there's nothing naughty, indulgent or rich. It's not toothsome. Not here, this novel is a banquet, full of flavour, which is what I liked so much. I am done with angsty, whiny, eviscerated characters, who limp from page to page of just about every other novel that drops of the presses these days. BK could almost be an endangered species: eccentric, wilful, disingenuous, corrupting, and so mischievious. He is the Queen Mother of the Eastside; plotting harder than a poor man's Macchiaveli, eyes twinkling like Captain Hook, heady with the vapours of a Schoolgirl's crush and a heart pumping with the gusto of a barrel organ.

The two main characters, BK and the eponymous Christopher are "outcasts from life's feast", which is what I felt made them so memorable. They don't know that much about life: BK wafts a smug charm or so he thinks that never, ever, entrances anyone, whilst Christopher is as equally deluded in his idealism. Neither stays that way, though. Each changes as the year changes with them. I thought the move from ignorance to enlightenment was quite skilfully done. As the year progresses,a few more scales drop off and a little more self realsiation shines in on them. Especially so in the case of Christopher where he is observed through BK's rose coloured and cracked specatcles. There are some great comic ironies in there

Christopher is a wonderful, beautifully written, comedy of manners; and just like all great ones provides a little extra in top notch characters, cracking dialogue and enviable imagery. BK Troop is a stand-out character.

http://www.allisonburnett.com/