Magnificent Joe is a bit of a misnomer. The novel's actually about Jim, a young man who once had promise but blew his prospects in a moment of teenage madness. He finds himself stuck in the Durham village of his childhood, working as a bottom of the heap building labourer and hanging with his childhood friends because he doesn't have any better options. Jim seems content to tread water through his life, living only for the sake of his next beer.
The novel is mostly about the relationships between Jim, his friends Barry and Geoff, and Geoff's wife Laura. The four of them don't necessarily like one another very much and seem quite dissatisfied with life. But like Jim, they pretty much accept the cards that life has dealt them. They work hard but make room for banter in the mess hut and in the pub. The subtle development of these relationships and the latent resentment that each of them feels become the fuel that drives the novel.
Joe is a bit of an afterthought. Joe has some form of learning disability and lives with his mother, apart from this group of friends. The connection is that Jim's family were close to Joe's family and even though Jim's parents are long gone, Jim still feels a responsibility towards Joe and his mother. At best, though, Joe is a secondary character and it's not obvious how he has earned the moniker of "magnificent". The blurb might lead a reader to expect a new Incredible Adam Spark; or perhaps even a Christopher from Curious Incident. But no, Joe is fairly unremarkable and the novel would have been more aptly titled Unlucky Jim.
The novel is short and the narration is mostly a tight first person perspective from Jim. It works well and gives a good insight into Jim's personal battle against his self-pity. But half way through, the occasional chapter comes along that is narrated in third person from Geoff's perspective. This is very awkward and distracting at first, although on balance it is probably justified by taking the novel in a direction it could not otherwise have gone.
Magnificent Joe is a great read and a great insight into a squandered youth. It's bleak but not oppressive. I look forward to reading James Wheatley's future work with interest.
You don't need to own a Kindle device to enjoy Kindle books. Download one of our FREE Kindle apps to start reading Kindle books on all your devices.
To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number.
