The Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy by Douglas Adams –subject: humour.
These days, The hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy by Douglas Adams is more of a franchise than a book, crossing the science-fiction and humour categories, which works hilariously for some and not so much for others. We were a mixed group in our response. If anyone would like to write a sentence or two about these books, please email me janet.bayliss@esneft.nhs.uk – so we can post to the book group part of the ESNEFT book group website.
In 1978, The hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy by Douglas Adams started life as a radio series before being written up and published in novel form in 1979. It is the sort of book that some love and others are more sceptical about; our reactions reflected this. The story starts with Arthur Dent, a carbon-based human lifeform lying in front of a bull-dozer which is scheduled to demolish his house. A friend with the curious name of Ford Prefect comes calling and takes him to the pub, from which he is then whisked off as a hitchhiker on a spacecraft, shortly before the earth is unexpectedly demolished to make way for a hyper-space bypass. Numerous increasingly outrageous and bizarre adventures result as Arthur and Ford embark on an accidental odyssey around the Solar system in the company of a weird group of characters (and things). The foregoing summary gives an idea of the reasons for the book’s cult status as a classic of science-fiction and humour.
We liked the humour, which was absurd, fantastical and flamboyant but very British somehow in its take on “life, the universe and everything”. At least one person noted parallels with the humour of the “Monty Python” television series of the early 1970s (which Adams actually appeared in). However, the science-fiction aspect of things worked less well for some readers; who found the book difficult to follow, while enjoying the odd and sometimes hilarious names of the characters within it. Comments were made about the sheer imaginative flair displayed by the author; we also liked the reading by Stephen Fry in the audio version.
Douglas Adams was a very tall man (6ft 5in) who packed a lot into a comparatively short life (1952-2001), including work on the “Doctor Who” television series and other books. He had a huge fan base and his death meant large numbers of people who had never met him felt a genuine sense of loss.
We did a bit of comparison between different genres, some people liking the way that historical fiction allows you to almost step into another room and be transported to a different era. In terms of television series the recent second series of “Lucy Worsley investigates” was found to be engaging, offering a different take on well-known historical episodes. A novel including privateers and Francis Drake is The mapmaker’s daughter by Clare Marchant, which begins with the main character selling old maps in a shop.
Within the science-fiction field, a modern classic of dystopian fiction (imagining an alternative reality which is close to the original but contains rampant injustice and suffering) would be The handmaid’s tale by Margaret Atwood.
Turning to Japanese fiction, a tale of a woman who recommends books to others is The bookshop woman by Nanako Hanada. Our own personal recommendations included All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr, a dual storyline prize winner set in World War II; The transcendent kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, covering the experiences of an immigrant Ghanaian family and Listen for the lie by Amy Tintera, where a girl is found by the body of her best friend, but is she a murderer?
A possible future book group choice was Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, a novel of family life and young love, past and present.
Several of the above are on Libby, check them out at the ESNEFT Libby pages.