Book Review: Infernal Relations: A Quintessential English Comedy by P.S. Rover

Book Details:

Author: P.S. Rover
Release Date: 
4th April 2022
Series:
Genre: Literary Comedy, Humour
Format: E-book 
Pages: 270 pages
Publisher: Forte Books
Blurb:
Eloping Has Never Been So Criminal
Another academic season is in the offing at Lockwood Institute, the eclectic finishing school for those who’ve been barred elsewhere. When Spencer and his interloping cousin, Monty, are summoned back for a special assignment they quickly find themselves in the thick of it with a trophy-hunting Brigadier on a quest to slay a mysterious beast, while his daughter, Natalia, proves a temptation too much for the fantastical Monty. This heady concoction provides the perfect ingredients to rock institute life to its foundations.

As one staggering revelation unfolds after another, does Spencer have the fortitude to cope? Monty couldn’t possibly have done what people think, could he? Is he culpable? Is he capable? As Spencer desperately tries to pull Monty’s chestnuts out of the fire, a head-spinning discovery awaits them. Skulduggery is afoot!

“It IS funny. Just what we all need”

Cassandra Clark (Acclaimed author of the Brother Chandler trilogy and more.)

“A great story.” 
LoveReading

“An intricate and well-written book. Filled with atmosphere … I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to other literary fiction fans.” 
LoveReading

“The beauty of this book is in the writing. Rover has a wonderful way with words and I found myself laughing out loud at several lines where Spencer gave his unusual views on life around him. I thoroughly enjoyed Infernal Relations by P.S. Rover which I have awarded 4.5 stars.”
(Whispering Stories) 

“Rover is excellent at crafting unique sentences … with a poetic touch… Readers will leave the book impressed by his ability to squeeze all the juice out of the English language.” 
(Independent Book Review)

“A rollercoaster ride” 
(Independent Book Review)

This book will especially delight fans of:
The Ransom of Red Chief (O’Henry), The Harpole Report (J.L. Carr), The Ascent of Rum Doodle (E.W. Bowman), Diary of a Nobody (Grossmith), Augustus Carp Esq., James Thurber, Mark Twain, Wodehouse.

Review

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Infernal Relations by P.S. Rover is a brilliantly crafted booking roaring with intricately woven English humour.

I recently happened to re-read The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer for my book club’s genre challenge and reading this book right after that one was like stepping into a different version of the same book. I don’t mean that both the books are the same, but what I do mean is that the author of Infernal Relations heavily draws from the sense of nostalgia that is invoked while reading Mark Twain’s masterpiece. I might not have noticed it so acutely had I not just finished re-reading TDOTS right before picking up this one! But I am glad that happened because it made the reading experience of this book even more enriched. The differences in both the books were pretty evident and both the books are very different, yet they are very similar (again you’d notice it only if you’re very observant or, like me, had recently, read both the books so close to each other.)

Moving on from comparing the two books, I loved this book a lot. The writing was marvellous and I enjoyed the lyrical quality of the prose, which is so rare these days, to find in contemporary fiction. I liked how the author used his brilliant sense of humour and an acute sense of using phrases to his advantage to bring out the subtlety of satire in the best possible ways. I chucked more than I was expecting and giggled probably more than I should have. The story had a great flow and the pacing was really good and kept the flow very smooth. I enjoyed reading this book right from the beginning to the very end.

I am not a literary expert, although I am somewhat of a self-proclaimed book aficionado, and hence I’d like to say that, for me at least, the author’s style resembles a lot to that of the revered Mark Twain and therefore, I really really enjoyed his writing and in fact, I am looking forward to reading more of his works in the future (hopefully soon!)


You can also read this review on:

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Amazon


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