Ron Butlin No More Angels

Annotation

From Ancient Greece, via contemporary Britain, into the future, from childhood to old age and beyond, the stories in "No More Angels" capture the idiosyncrasies of modern life. A train ticket seller livens up his day by telling Lockerbie victims' relatives that his surname is Lockerbie. A widower struggles to keep his family on the tracks after the death of his young wife, becoming obsessive about order and routine to the point of madness. A schoolboy counts down the days, hours and minutes to a friend's party, all too conscious of the realities of the popularity game. A house tour is conducted with the unspoken stench of parenticide hanging in the air. Comic, tragic and sometimes both, Butlin explores individual lives with a lightness of touch that cuts right to the heart. A dramatic follow up to Butlin's acclaimed "Belonging", "No More Angels" is a captivating celebration of human frailty.