Satan Wants Me

Robert Irwin


Somewhat sprawling novel set in London in the late 1960s. Post graduate student interested in the occult, psychedelia, drugs and all the sex he can lay his hands on gets involved with an occult organisation which gets more alarming as he seems to be identified as some kind of chosen one.

It's in the form of a diary written by the central character, which he has been instructed to keep for this organisation. The tone of the book changes as this process occurs, starting out with little asides about the era (which now seem quite funny in view of the reverence that it's held in popular culture "No one's really releasing any good music these days"). Ends up quite shocking, the death of one of the main characters is totally devoid of any lightness, which it may have been tempting to use. It would have been easy (well, easier) to make the book more of a romp and the fact that it isn't one is to its credit.

Cautiously recommended (it's too long, by about 100 pages) but not for the faint hearted.
Andrew 29/6/03


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