| Synopsis: |
In Cardiff's offices and call centres the twenty-something white collar workers of the new sweatshops email each other with work issues, jokes, arrangements for their social lives, gossip and the products of sheer boredom. As the day passes, author Martin conducts this correspondence and saves in Drafts a variety of emails to himself - a commentary on his life. Martin is tired of customer services, in denial over breaking up with his girlfriend, worried about 'that incident' in Bristol, and baffled by the triviality of his life and those of his drinking, recreational drug-taking friends. What is the plot he's supposed to be following? How has it come to this? When on this day, 11th September, 2001, people fly airliners into buildings, Martin knows he's reached a critical point in his life. He sends his final message...Told entirely through emails, part The Office, part Pinter, "Eleven" is a striking debut novel: smart, funny, brutally sad, and a genuine response to 21st century society in the UK and beyond. It iis likely to become a cult text for young people, disillusioned with society, across the UK. |