London Fields (novel)

London Fields is a black comic novel by British writer Martin Amis, published in 1986.

The story

:Warning: some plot spoilers follow.

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Samson Young, the narrator of the novel, is a failed non-fiction writer, slowly dying of cancer (probably leukemia). On a visit to London he meets the anti-heroine, Nicola Six, in a pub, along with Keith Talent, a small-time crook and wannabe professional darts player, and Guy Clinch, a moneyed upper-class banker who is bored with life. Later, Six leaves her diaries in a litter bin outside the flat where Young is staying (it belongs to Mark Asprey, a wildly successful English writer, who is probably an oblique reference to Amis himself). The diaries tell Young that Six is plotting her own murder for the early hours of November 6th, her 36th birthday. Young, normally unable to write good fiction, realises he can simply document the progress towards the murder to create a plausible, saleable, story and enters into a strange relationship with Six where he regularly interviews her and is updated on the "plot".

Related Topics:
Narrator - Non-fiction - Cancer - Leukemia - London - Pub - Fiction

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The novel proceeds on the basis that Talent, the known criminal, will be the murderer, with Clinch as the fall guy necessary to provoke him into killing (and, incidentally, unwittingly provide funds to help Talent avoid loan sharks and further his darts career to ensure he appears in the Sparrow Masters final the day before the planned murder). However, there is a genuinely shocking twist at the finale, which is not even the expected twist - Amis cleverly hints at a false ending, in one of Young's terrifying dreams, simply to confuse the reader.

Related Topics:
Darts - Dream

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The story is set against a backdrop of environmental and social degradation and the looming threat of nuclear war (referred to as "The Crisis"). There is an element of sacrifice and salvation in that the Crisis ends with the final death of two of the participants. The characters are unusual but most are sympathetic in their own way - even Talent, who has virtually no appealing features except his "fierce brand loyalties", a complete lack of colour prejudice when it comes to women, and an obsession with TV and darts. Young is a morally ambiguous character who redeems himself at the end. The only truly malignant character is the unseen Asprey, who manipulates the others from afar, either for amusement or in order to pass off Young's story as his own - this is left in the balance.

Related Topics:
Nuclear war - Sacrifice - Salvation

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