HOW LOVE ACTUALLY RUINED CHRISTMAS (OR COLOURFUL NARCOTICS) | BOOK REVIEW
Gary Raymond (Parthian)
What’s worse: a Love Actually fan reading Gary Raymond’s new book, How Love Actually Ruined Christmas (Or Colourful Narcotics), or Gary Raymond, who hates that particular movie, having to write a whole book about it? Based on reading it, it appears writing it was an outward breath that Raymond’s been holding for years. So probably the former.
Reading it was such fun, with plenty laugh-out-loud moments. It’s a scene-by-scene analysis of all that is confusing, inconsistent, sexist, insensitive and just plain wrong about Richard Curtis’ blockbuster, but it’s always tongue-in-cheek, rather than eliciting the sentiment, “chill out, mate, it’s a movie”.
I spoke to Raymond recently for arts and literary podcast Babble – it’s due to be released on Thurs 26 Nov – and he suggested his book should count as essential reading for everyone at the end of this stinker of a year. We need to get into the cheery Christmas spirit while channelling our inner Grinch, too. Naturally, it hasn’t been a good year for independent bookshops either: titles such as these thrive on a bookshop table, where they can make browsers chuckle and grab a couple for their friend who never shuts up about Love Actually. Let’s try to mimic that pattern and support some Welsh bookshops. Three which have How Love Actually Ruined Christmas in stock, for starters, are Carmarthen’s Goldstone Books, Book-ish in Crickhowell and Haverfordwest establishment Victoria Bookshop; alternatively, buy direct from Parthian at the link below.
Price: £10. Info: here
words MEGAN THOMAS