If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, McGregor's first novel was one of the most memorable pieces of fiction I read last year. Even the Dogs sees McGregor take a similarly symphonic approach, even if the subject matter in this novel is much more challenging. Here McGregor's cast of characters are society's outcasts, victims of war-related PTSD and/or broken homes, with corresponding drug and alcohol abuse issues. The death of one character at the outset and his witness journey from police discovery to autopsy to criminal proceedings and then cremation allows the reader to understand the circumstances behind his demise and the other characters' relational involvement. The tales — or vicious circles of descent — are often harrowing, but to McGregor's credit there is no element of moralising; rather, the reader is moved to sympathy, forced almost to adopt a different perspective towards society's outcasts. There are some stunning and moving narrative passages, particularly injured soldier Ant's deportation from Afghanistan, its poppy fields, and then the heroin back in the UK, nine out of ten.
By Jon McGregor