Litfest

“I am not a man. I am a hat stand. Her favourite hat hangs from my erection. Oh god, I should start again somewhere else.“

So begins Chris Killen’s debut novel (novella?) “The Bird Room” (Canongate, £9.99). It’s a beguiling and intriguing read. First appearances suggest a dark, comic tale of a twentysomething, lovestruck male stuck in a boring job he hates and riddled with the usual unrequited, male sexual longing, but Killen is sharper than that, and readers should find plenty to enjoy and admire in this smart tale.

Characters intertwine, confusingly at times, so Will, the central protagonist becomes paranoically convinced his girlfriend alice is infatuated with his childhood best mate, also called Will, sometimes William. Alice meanwhile, is sometimes Clair, who has taken to calling herself Helen. Not surprising perhaps, both Will and Alice, seem to question their own existence, and their involvements in internet porn, web-cam voyeurism and semi-prostitution works to further blur the character boundaries.

Confused? You may be. Impressed? You should be. On this evidence, Chris Killen certainly looks like someone to watch.

Chris Killen appears at Litfest on Friday 23 October 09  at 9.30 pm with Jenn Ashworth and Richard Milward.

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