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Title: Thematically brilliant but poorly written.
Review: Illywhacker is an almost surreal novel and therefore has both strong and weak points. This 600-page decription of the Badgery clan is peopled by extraordinary, larger-than-life characters and touches onto very real themes and ideas - from the opening ("my name is Herbert Badgery and I am a liar") to the bizarre but poignant conclusion, Carey explores dozens of fascinating themes.The only disappointment is the writing itself. Sometimes painfully difficult to read, it is mundane and long-winded, full of unnecessary passages and incidents. None of the characters are highly sympathetic, and the reader never feels involved in their lives. And while the themes concerned are almost all interesting, he dwells relentlessly on many of them and they lose their novelty.A book not for the easily frustrated, it is so weakly-written and mundane that it is easy to lose sight of the originality and insight that lies beneath the surface.
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