Description

Dan Rhodes is a true original’ – Hilary Mantel
‘I read this novel right through the day I got my hands on it, laughing like a banshee.’ – David Sexton, Sunday Times

When the sleepy English village of Green Bottom hosts its first literary festival, the good, the bad and the ugly of the book world descend upon its leafy lanes

But the villagers are not prepared for the peculiar habits, petty rivalries and unspeakable desires of the authors. And they are certainly not equipped to deal with Wilberforce Selfram, the ghoul-faced, ageing enfant terriblewho wreaks havoc wherever he goes

Sour Grapes is a hilarious satire on the literary world which takes no prisoners as it skewers authors, agents, publishers and reviewers alike.

Publisher Review

Sour grapes? Oddly not. The narrative tone here is peculiarly benign, as if to explain all these absurdities as helpfully as possible, and the effect is just hilarious. I read this novel right through the day I got my hands on it, laughing like a banshee' David Sexton, Sunday Times; 'Piercing and hilarious' The Times, Best Books of 2021; 'A book trade romp. The plot is amusingly preposterous' The Spectator; 'Deeply silly, frequently juvenile' New Statesman; 'No one in the publishing industry escapes a brutal skewering in this laugh-out-loud satire. I loved it' Sara Lawrence, Daily Mail; 'The funniest book since Cold Comfort Farm' Julie Burchill; 'A rollicking satire of publishing, writers and book festivals. As broad as the Atlantic but filled with zingers' Ian Rankin; 'Dan Rhodes is a true original' Hilary Mantel; 'Dan Rhodes is totally sick and brilliant in all the right ways' Douglas Coupland; 'Dan Rhodes is one of England's greatest purveyors of eccentric comedies' John Self, The Times