Work in Progress: The untold story of the Crawley Writers' Group, compiled by Peter, writer

by Dan Brotzel and Martin Jenkins

'Funny as hell. Formally inventive. Daringly concise' C. M. Taylor

They've all got a book in them, unfortunately.

In December 2016, Julia Greengage, aspiring writer and resting actor, puts up a poster in her local library inviting people to join a new writers' group. The group will exchange constructive feedback and 'generally share in the pains and pleasures of this excruciating yet exhilarating endeavour we call Literature'.

Seven people, each in their own way a bit of a work in progress, heed the call.

There’s Keith, a mercenary sci-fi geek who can write 5,000 words before breakfast and would sell his mother for a book deal. Tom, a suburban lothario with an embarrassing secret. Peter, a conceptual artist whose main goal in life is to make everyone else feel uncomfortable. Alice, who’s been working on her opening sentence for over nine months. Jon, a faded muso with a UFO complex. Blue, whose doom-laden poems include ‘Electrocuted Angel in the Headlights of My Dead Lover’s Eye Sockets’ and the notorious ‘Kitten on a Fatberg’. And Mavinder, who sadly couldn’t make the first meeting. Or the second. But promises to come to the next one…

Soon, under Julia's watchful eye, the budding writers are meeting every month to read out their work and indulge each other's dreams of getting published. But it’s not long before the group's idiosyncrasies and insecurities begin to appear. Feuds, rivalries and even romance are on the cards – not to mention an exploding sheep's head, a cosplay stalker, and an alien mothership invasion. They’re all on a journey, and God help the rest of us.

A novel-in-emails about seven eccentric writers, written by three quite odd ones, Work in Progress is a very British farce about loneliness, friendship and the ache of literary obscurity.

• ISBN13: 9781783529629
• Publish Date: 24 June 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 27 March 2024
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Unbound
• Imprint: Unbound Digital
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Work in Progress is a marvelously funny "behind-the-scenes" story of the fictional Crawley Writers' Group told entirely in emails. Released 24th June 2021, it's 272 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.

This is a genuinely humorous novel which actually surprised me into laughter at several points. It's witty and acerbic and lampoons the archetypal characters so exquisitely that ribbing never shaded over into cruelty and I spent the entire read (in one glorious session) giggling out loud. There's a moneyed diva (with IMDB credits on Midsomer Murders) hosting an ensemble of oddballs, misfits, and an angsty poet. The tagline "They've all got a book in them, unfortunately." sums the whole up pretty succinctly.

I enjoyed this one enormously. The epistolary format suited the book perfectly and was a brilliant choice. It's presented in such a deadpan factual manner that it took me a while to ascertain if it really was fiction or a tie-in to an actual writers' group. For anyone who has ever enjoyed mockumentaries like This Is Spinal Tap or All You Need is Cash this one has a lot to offer. Very funny.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.