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Glenn Patterson: Fat Lad

I keep reading these novels and they all seem to come from the same mould.


    Our hero (it usually is a male)…
    Is in his twenties and college educated…
    Is urbane, witty and slightly gawky…
    Has just broken up with/is about to break up with his girlfriend…
    Has a fairly but not too interesting job…
    But is making some sort of career change…
    He has a sibling who is in a conventional relationship/marriage, probably with kids but the relationship/marriage is not going too well because of job, kids, etc. …
    Lots of flashbacks to when our hero and sibling were kids and when there was a defining moment which changed him/them both forever…
    Drinks heavily…
    Uses recreational drugs (i.e. marijuana but never, never nasty drugs like crack)…
    Parent problems (divorce, illness, death)…
    Shock! Horror! Finds another girl, though still loves/feels affection for/is sorry for ex…
    Is a sports fan, probably football if European, baseball if American…
    Likes rock music, though tastes vary…
    But even though the sex/sunsets/boozing is great, it doesn’t quite work out…
    Things are happening in the world (Vietnam, terrorism or, in this case, Ireland)…
    Somehow, things go wrong (parents, girlfriend, world, job) but our brave hero leaves for a brave new world…
    And may or may not live happily ever after.

Sorry to pick on old Glenn like this. There are lots of others. This book is intelligently written, witty and enjoyable. There are even variations here. For example, we get flashbacks not only for Drew (our hero) and sister Ellen but also for their parents and grandparents (to show that the Irish problem has been a problem a long time). The Ireland problem, given that most of the novel takes place in Belfast, is more in your face that the political issues normally are. And the sex scene with girlfriend Kay is really very funny.

Oh, and BTW, FAT LAD is the mnemonic for the six counties of Northern Ireland.

Publishing history

First published in 1992 by Chatto and Windus